Shillong: The Meghalaya government broke its silence on teacher grievances. Officials addressed the Khasi Jaintia Deficit School Teachers Association and the Garo Hills Deficit School Teachers and Employees Association on November 11. They asked staff to talk things out rather than launch strikes that hurt classroom time.
Policy remains rigid on the Centralised Provident Fund. The government stated that the Meghalaya Non-Government School and College Employees Centralised Provident Fund Scheme, 2026, ignores the April 1, 2010, cutoff date. Rules apply to all employees under the Deficit Grant-in-Aid Scheme equally. Officials also dismissed the Draft Scheme, 2023, noting it never held formal government approval. They claimed the document originated from the Meghalaya College Teachers Association as a mere proposal. A High Court judgment from September 10, 2026, backed the government's official March 18, 2026, notification.
Money is moving, albeit slowly. The state released Rs 61.42 crore for 1,981 teachers across 121 secondary schools for the July-September 2026 quarter. They also paid Rs 6.18 crore for 132 higher secondary teachers and Rs 2.72 crore for 85 teachers under the old deficit pattern scheme. October salaries hit a snag during a financial transition. The department explained that "additional time was required to release the October salary because new heads of account had to be opened for salary payments to all schools receiving grant-in-aid, including deficit schools." Staff are currently waiting on those funds.
Comments