Shillong: Teachers are gearing up for battle. The Khasi Jaintia Deficit School Teachers’ Association (KJDSTA) and the Garo Hills Deficit School Teachers and Employees’ Association (GHDSTEA) threatened statewide protests on Friday. This move follows the expiration of their October 9 deadline for the Meghalaya government to address long-standing grievances. The teachers rejected the Education Department’s latest response, calling it inadequate and indifferent.
KJDSTA president Boswell S. Pala accused the government of ignoring core issues while pushing ahead with the controversial Centralised Provident Fund scheme, 2026. The two unions submitted a six-point ultimatum to Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma on September 25. Their demands include releasing Dearness Allowance at a 53% rate, providing a 10% government matching contribution to the CPF, and filling vacant deficit posts. They also want their own Board of Trustees restored rather than merging into a common arrangement.
Pala dismissed the government’s claim that allowing retired teachers to withdraw funds without interest was a concession. Financial pressure forces workers to tap into their retirement savings early. The association remains skeptical about government assurances regarding job security. The KJDSTA maintains that official documents concerning the potential abolition of deficit posts remain active. This leaves staff and new recruits in the dark.
The unions are also pushing for the completion of the CPF scheme for staff hired before April 2010 and the New Defined Contribution Pension scheme. They currently receive DA at 49% instead of the revised rate, and the government’s CPF matching contribution sits at 8% despite a November 2024 order requiring 10%. Pala hit back at suggestions that teachers were using students as leverage for their cause. He stated, "The association said it would not retreat from its demands, warning that the government could not invoke students’ welfare to silence employees seeking benefits they were legally entitled to receive." The teachers expect the government to follow its own rules.
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