Shillong: Private school leaders want more control. The Meghalaya Schools Welfare Development Association Central Body submitted a formal request to Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Tuesday. They are pushing for autonomy over teacher appointments and salary management. HM Marbaniang, the association president, argued that current government funding is too rigid.
State aid only covers two teachers for lower primary schools and three for upper primary schools. This forces private managements to hire extra staff on their own. The resulting pay gap between teachers doing the same work is a major friction point. Marbaniang stated, "Government assistance was limited to two teachers in lower primary and three in upper primary schools, forcing managements to appoint additional teachers according to academic requirements and creating salary disparities among teachers performing comparable duties."
The group wants schools to choose between the current funding model and a new Composite Lump-Sum Grant-in-Aid system. They claim private organizations like missions and NGOs have invested heavily in these institutions. Once they take state funds, they lose their ability to manage daily operations effectively. The association insists this hampers their ability to meet academic needs.
Guidelines must change. The MSWDA-CB requested clear rules defining the roles of the government, School Management Committees, and teachers. They proposed that committees receive more flexibility to distribute funds for salaries and institutional needs. To maintain transparency, the association promised to provide annual financial statements, utilization certificates, and reports on academic performance. They want the Education Department to adopt these changes to ensure public money is used well while protecting the interests of their staff.
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