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Meghalaya cabinet okays revised pay structure for SSA, ad hoc teachers: Sangma
Conrad Sangma said the “historic step” would address a long-pending demand of teachers in Meghalaya.
SHILLONG: The Meghalaya cabinet on Friday approved a proposal to introduce structured pay scales, annual increments and job security for more than 23,000 Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) teachers across the state, chief minister Conrad K Sangma said.
Sangma said the “historic step” would address a long-pending demand of teachers. Under the new framework, eligible ad hoc and SSA teachers would be brought into a structured remuneration system with clearly defined pay slabs and annual increments, replacing the existing fixed, often inconsistent honorarium-based payments.
The move will also provide greater service security, a key concern for teachers who, in many cases, have been working on temporary arrangements for over a decade.
Sangma said the decision was made after extensive consultations and financial assessments, with both teacher welfare and the state’s fiscal capacity in mind. “Our teachers are the backbone of the education system. This decision is about dignity, stability and recognising their contribution,” Sangma said.
Officials said the policy will be implemented in phases, with detailed guidelines to be issued by the education department shortly. The government is also expected to outline eligibility norms, service conditions and transition mechanisms to ensure a smooth rollout.
Teacher bodies have repeatedly flagged low pay, lack of increments, and job insecurity, warning that these factors affect morale and classroom outcomes.
The government said the reform is part of a broader push to strengthen the state’s education system by improving teacher motivation, retention and overall quality of instruction.
