SHILLONG, MAY 4: Stakeholders of deficit grant-in-aid schools and colleges staged a poster campaign across districts on Monday protesting the Meghalaya Non-Government Schools and Colleges Employees Centralized Fund Scheme, 2026, calling it a “fake CPF” and demanding implementation of the mutually agreed 2023 draft instead.
Joining the protest, secretary of the Khasi-Jaintia Deficit School Teachers’ Association (KJDSTA), Synshar J Marwein, said the new scheme “is totally against the interest and welfare of the deficit teachers.”
“Why we are not accepting the scheme 2026 is because as per notification it has clearly mentioned that it is NPS, but I am telling you it is not NPS but it is only NPS-like, which is totally wrong. Therefore, we will not accept this scheme,” Marwein said.
He explained that under a true NPS, “we need to contribute 10% from the basic pay and DA, meaning employer and employee should contribute 10% basic pay and DA. It depends on the government how much it will give — whether it is 2 or 3 or 4%, we don’t know as it depends on the wisdom of the government.”
Marwein flagged other discrepancies. “The other reason why we oppose the scheme 2026 is because it is written that you can withdraw the accumulated amount by only 50% but in fact, as per NPS we can withdraw 60%,” he said. “If we go to the NPF Act, 1969, it was supposed to be only for deficit teachers or staff but in that scheme it has included teachers of other categories as well.”
On the existing CPF, he added, “If we go to CPF, those who joined before April 1, 2010 and those who joined after April 1, 2010, we are getting only 8%. I think we have to send a message not only to the government that is deaf and blind and apathy, but to the public that we need to get real NPS or CPF because the government is giving us a fake CPF 2026.”
Marwein said the association was awaiting a decision from its central body. “I cannot comment anything on that because we have to wait for the central body of KJDSTA. We are staging the posting campaign in all districts of Meghalaya,” he said.
“We as deficit teachers, we oppose the scheme which the government in April this year passed and submitted its order to court which changed the order which we all agree in 2023,” he added.
KJDSTA member I Marbaniang said the issue dates back to 2017, when deficit school teachers approached the Meghalaya High Court seeking a pension scheme for retired teachers.
“Accordingly, the High Court has directed the state government to work out the matter,” Marbaniang said.
She said the government in September 2023 had drafted a framework segregating teachers by joining date. “Those who joined service before April 2010, the government had agreed to give CPF and those who joined after April 2010, it has agreed to give NPS,” she said.
Following court directions, teachers withdrew their CPF in 2024 and deposited it in a state-wide account at SBI, Laitumkhrah branch as directed by the government.
“However, since September 2024, we had withdrawn all our CPF and deposited it accordingly at the SBI, Laitumkhrah branch as directed by the government but unfortunately till date, the state government has not done anything on this matter,” Marbaniang said.
“We feel bad for the teachers who have retired in the recent years. Normally, we can withdraw CPF if needed as us teachers we do not get medical reimbursement as government employees. The teachers who are facing medical emergencies, from where will they get money since they do not get pension, the CPF which is saved from their salary throughout their services till now also they are not getting,” she added.
Marbaniang said college teachers had submitted suggestions to “fine tune” the 2023 draft and the suggestions were accepted in October 2023.
“Despite this, suddenly instead of the government submitting the order drafted and accepted in 2023, it went ahead submitted the draft scheme 2026, which we as teachers we cannot accept it at all,” she said.
The campaign, organisers said, is “a peaceful democratic expression of the concerns of teaching and non-teaching employees, including retired staff members, over the proposed scheme 2026 which has been unanimously rejected by the affected stakeholders.”
“The stakeholders maintain that the scheme affects the financial security of thousands of employees of deficit grant-in-aid institutions and overlooks established legal safeguards,” they said.
“Through the poster campaign, stakeholders appeal to the state government to respect the legitimate rights of employees, uphold existing legal provisions, and refrain from imposing any policy detrimental to the welfare of serving and retired staff,” the organisers added.
By Our Reporter
