‘Teachers’ under SSA are regular post’

SHILLONG, APR 15: The Association of SSA-RMSA Teachers of India on Friday asked the Meghalaya government to correct the ‘anomalies’ of appointment of SSA teachers failing which legal notice will be issued.

According to the association, Meghalaya is one among the few states which have violated the norms of the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) and Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009 by failing to appoint SSA teachers on regular posts.

The state government is also alleged to have misled when it had maintained that Teachers’ Eligibility Test (TET) is mandatory as per NCTE norms to regularize services of SSA teachers, which at present are appointed on contractual basis.

At least, over 12, 000 working as SSA teachers in lower primary and upper primary schools across the state have been demanding immediate regularization of their services.

“We would issue legal notice to the state government if it fails to correct the anomalies by regularizing the services of the SSA teachers, be it with retrospective or prospective effect,” association president Arvind Rana told reporters.

Rana, who is on a three day visit to Meghalaya, will be attending the general meeting of the Meghalaya Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan School Association at Jingkieng Nonthymmai on Saturday to address over 5000 SSA teachers.

Referring to the norms of SSA framed by Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), he said, “The posts of teachers sanctioned under SSA teachers are regular posts and should have been created by all states including Meghalaya in state education department with same salary, allowances and service conditions as of regular teachers.”

“Even section 18 of the Meghalaya RTE Rules also stipulated professional and permanent cadre of teachers with same salary and service conditions as of regular teachers,” Rana added.

He alleged that the state government for past many years has been violating the SSA norms and RTE Act by failing to appoint SSA teachers on regular posts.

On two grounds the Meghalaya government has failed decide on the demand of regularization of SSA teachers, first that the teachers are appointed by School Management Committee (SMC) and second is that the teachers’ qualification should be as per NCTE norms which also included clearing of TET exams.

Terming the government’s excuse as false, Rana said, “The SSA teachers are being appointed by the office of the SSA-State Mission Authority and not by the SMC. The SMC is only a monitoring body as per provision of the RTE Act, 2009.”

Informing that the NCTE had notified its rules in 2010 and later amended in 2011, he said, “As per para 5 of this notification, those teachers who are appointed before 2010 or 2011 are exempted from clearing TET exams.”

Rana further pointed out that the centre which is providing 90 per cent funding, had also given pre-condition to the states that teachers should be appointed on regular basis.-By Our Reporter