Meghalaya SSA teachers threaten to resign en masse after edu minister’s diktat

Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) teachers in Meghalaya have threatened to quit their jobs en masse over the statement by education minister Lahkmen Rymbui.

SSA teachers who are carrying out their indefinite sit-in protest have demanded that the education minister must take back his words or the teachers will conduct a mass resignation drive from their jobs.

They have also served an ultimatum till today for Lahkmen Rymbui to take back what he said.
Education minister Lahkmen Rymbui had on Wednesday urged the teachers to return to work failing which the government will be compelled to cut their salaries.

Rymbui said that the state government is trying to work out things to the best of its abilities despite the limitations.

However, he added that if the teachers continue to skip work, the government will be compelled to withdraw the grant given to the managing committee for those schools which are closed despite repeated requests put forward to reopen.

The decision to mass resign was taken by the Meghalaya SSA School Association yesterday evening after Rymbai’s statement.

Talking about the decision, MSSASA president Aristotle C Rymbui said that all of the 12,541 protesting SSA teachers would resign from their posts and the state government would be responsible for that.

Rymbai also said that if no statement comes in from the education minister by Thursday evening then they would decide the next course of action in the meeting.

Meanwhile, over 1,000 SSA teachers are camping at the parking area adjacent to the additional Secretariat in Shillong as part of the indefinite strike launched on July 18.

The teachers are demanding the release of 5 months pending salaries along with 8 months pending arrears.

Protesting teachers are sitting throughout the day and braving the chill of the night as they continue to doggedly carry on their protest pushing for their demands.