By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, AUG 4: The Congress-led state government is ready with the draft state education policy and also the draft service rules, which is for regulating the services of thousands of deficit schoolteachers in the state.
Informing this after 36th general meeting of the Khasi-Jaintia Deficit School Teachers’ Association (KJDSTA) here on Friday, association’s chief ED Nongsiang said that the principal secretary in-charge education DP Wahlang had revealed that the draft education policy and draft service rules are ready.
A delegation of the association, which is part of the Joint Action Committee of All Teachers’ Associations (JACATAM), had met the senior education official on August 1, as a follow up with regards to the last year’s promise of government to frame the service rules for the deficit teachers.
He (Wahlang) has showed us the draft service rules and we have also read it. However the department is now waiting for the views of the chief minister, education minister and Directorate of School Literacy & Education (DSEL), he told reporters.
Stating that the deficit teachers were working without service rules for the past 45 years, Nongsiang said, “We are happy that finally now we will be having our own service rules as this will bring security to the profession of the teachers.”
On the other hand, the president of the KJDSTA, which has been demanding for a state education policy in the past 15 years, informed that the principal secretary had also showed the draft education policy and the action plan for its smooth implementation.
According to him, the department is ready with the education policy which will soon be put up in public domain for gathering the views of the stakeholders.
Asked whether any assurance given as to when the government is likely to implement the much-awaited policy, Nongsiang said, “It is expected that once the views are received, the policy should immediately be implemented.”
Stating that the policy is in line with National Education Policy (NEP) of the Centre, he admitted that no doubt the policy is not free from “controversy” and said, “Everything cannot be rectified. Even this policy of the state, there will be some point of controversy but we hope that the state government will look and address them accordingly.”
He also revealed that one of the clauses in the draft policy seeks to do away with the different categories of teachers – a problem that is prevalent in the present education system of the state.
On the demand for extending national pension scheme to the deficit teachers, he said that the principal secretary informed that this will come along with the implementation of the 5th Pay Commission, which has recently submitted its recommendations to the state government.
Earlier when they met the members of the Pay Commission, he said that the association had also submitted its demand for including the deficit teachers under the Assured Carrier Progressive Scheme (ACPS) on ground that there is no scope for promotion to deficit teachers.
The other demand includes extension of medical reimbursement to deficit teachers as well as extending the age of retirement from 60 to 62 years.
“We have also request the Commission to recommend to the state government that if any new subject is being introduced in the school it should come along with a sanction post so that students are not burden in paying for the subject,” he said.
Earlier, the general meeting has unanimously resolved to allow the present executive committee, whose term ended today, to continue till the 5thPay Commission is extended and settled for the deficit school teachers.
Nongsiang, who was re-elected as president, said that the meeting however elected its new general secretary SL Rapthap after P Warlarpih resigned from the post. Warlarpih was also felicitated during the meeting.
Further, the KJDSTA also informed that the association will also hold the convocation to issue certificates to teachers who have completed the three-year teacher’s training programme conducted by the Dublin University in the month of October.
The association also urged its members to be part of the facebook account of the KJDSTA to get more information on the various activities of the association.
+ There are no comments
Add yours