SSA teachers call off agitation after govt assurance

Staff Reporter
ITANAGAR, Nov 21: The All Arunachal Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan Teachers Association (AASSATA) has called off its six days pen down strike on the second day after the state government reportedly ‘accepted’ to fulfil two of its main demands.
Parliamentary Secretary (Education) Pani Taram, on behalf of Education Minister, Honchun Ngadam on Tuesday convened a meeting with the central executive committee of ASSATA, wherein he said that the government has accepted two demands of the association-the enhancement of salary and batch-wise regularization of service of the SSA teachers-AASSATA President Tarak Agung Tarh told this daily over telephone.
“The demands are already in the agenda of the next Cabinet meeting and it is just a matter of time (to approve it),” the AASSATA President said, quoting the Parliamentary Secretary.
Regularization of services of the first two batches (2003 and 2006) of around 400 SSA teachers will be completed in the next DPC, the AASSATA President said.
When contacted, AASSATA General Secretary Techi Bollo said that the government has also accepted the demands for child care and maternity leave.
Appealing to the SSA teachers to resume normal duty from tomorrow (Wednesday), he, however, said that the SSA teachers would be compelled to resume democratic movement in case the demands were not met with.
The AASSATA has been demanding enhancement of salary at par with regular teachers under the Director of Elementary Education and in compliance with the 7th CPC, along with gazette notification and batch wise regularization.
On November 6 last, SAA teachers across the state took three days mass casual leave and sat on dharna in front of their respective DDSE cum DPO offices in the district headquarters to register protest against non-fulfilment of their demands. The government had declared the agitation as illegal.
Meanwhile, the Education and Cultural Development Society urged the state government to initiate proper policy to absorb and regularize the services of SSA teachers.
Due to the ongoing tussle between SSA teachers and the state government, the poor students are suffering a lot, it said.