SHILLONG:
The Meghalaya Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan School Teachers Association (MSSASA) has withdrawn its demand for an apology from the Education Minister, Lahkmen Rymbui, while suggesting he should choose his words more carefully.
Addressing a press conference here on Friday, the president of MSSASA, Aristotle Rymbai, said, “Taking into consideration the decision taken by the government, we have decided that we will withdraw our demand for the Education minister to apologise for his statement of July 20.”
Rymbui had threatened the then striking teachers with a `no work, no pay’ order. This had provoked the MSSASA to issue a counter-threat of en masse resignation by the teachers if he did not apologise by the next day.
“We would like to advise and request the Education minister that before making any statement, he should think twice because whatever he said hurt the sentiments of the teachers and the general public,” he said.
It may be mentioned that the association called off the indefinite sit-in after the government on Thursday assured to release Rs 122 crore for payment of four months’ pending salary.
Asked about the discussion with the Deputy Chief Minister, Prestone Tynsong, on school managing committees, Rymbai informed that the minister said that the committees should have sufficient funds for paying SSA teachers in the event of any delay on the part of the government.
On their demand to shift the existing SSA teachers from the state implementation society to the state education department on a regular basis as per the provision of SSA-RTE norms, Rymbai said that the additional chief secretary, D P Wahlang, had informed the association on July 18 that the matter would be placed in the state education commission, which will be constituted very soon by the government.
“The deputy chief minister has requested us to be patient and to work with the government till it constitutes the education commission,” he said.