[Indu Chukhu, Pisi Zauing & Prem Chetry]
ITANAGAR, 2 Jan: The Mukhya Mantri Shiksha Kosh Yojana (MMSKY), replacing the Chief Minister Samagrah Shiksha Yojana, to fill up the vacant posts of subject teachers in various government higher secondary schools (GHSS) and government secondary schools (GSS) of Arunachal, was introduced in the state in August 2022.
These teachers have not been paid for the last five months, though they were promised a monthly honorarium of Rs 25,000 per month. As the job is not regular, the guest teachers can be removed when regular subject teachers are recruited, but some have already resigned from their jobs because of financial hardship due to non-disbursement of honorariums for the last few months.
As reported earlier, as many as 752 guest teachers were approved for recruitment under the MMSKY to fill up the vacant posts of subject teachers in various GHSSs and GSSs of the state.
Papum Pare and ICR: It is learnt that the guest teachers in Papum Pare who had been recruited in the first batch will receive their monthly honorariums (for the period from September 2022 to February 2023) in March this year.
An official of the education department informed that a proposal for recruiting 48 guest teachers in Papum Pare had been submitted in June last year to the school education director. An advertisement for the posts was floated, and 35 posts were filled, following interviews. An engagement order was accordingly issued on 28 June.
It is learnt that the honorarium of Rs 25,000 per guest teacher, for the period from July to October last year, has been extended to 28 February, 2024.
One guest teacher, who had been posted to Chimpu, has resigned, owing to the irregular honorarium disbursement, while two more teachers, posted in Basarnallo, have also resigned. One teacher quit because there was no provision for accommodation.
Two guest teachers of the Govt Secondary School in Tirap HQ Khonsa have left their jobs for better opportunities, while two teachers of GHSS Chayang Tajo (E/Kameng) also left their job for other opportunities.
The guest teachers who were recruited under the MMSKY in Changlang district are aggrieved over non-payment of their honorariums.
Under the MMSKY, a total of 54 guest teachers were recruited in the district. But these teachers, who joined their duties on 1 July last year, are yet to receive their honorariums.
The aggrieved teachers, who requested not to be named, said that they are facing great financial hardship owing to not receiving their honorariums.
One teacher said, “The state government seems to be playing with our sentiments.”
The teachers in Changlang include 30 TGTs (Mathematics – 12, English – 7, Science – 9, and Social Science – 2), and 24 PGTs (English – 4, Chemistry – 2, Economics – 2, Geography – 1, Mathematics – 4, Political Science – 5, History – 5, and Biology – 1).
MMSKY guest teachers of West Kameng and Tawang districts are under financial hardship, owing to non-payment of their honorariums since 1 July last year.
The guest teachers have been recruited on contract, which is renewed every four months. However, it has been six months and they are yet to be paid.
GHSS Bomdila TGT (science) Mohan Zongluju said, “At least 40-50 guest faculties were appointed on 1 July, 2023. We completed our first contract period of four months in October 2023. It has been now six months, and yet we have not been paid a single penny.”
Stating that it is difficult to meet their monthly expenses, including house rent, Zongluju said, “If we are paid on time, there will be no question of compromise with education.”
GHSS Lumla PGT Lobsang Dokar said over the phone that 33 guest teachers are working across Tawang district. “We have been dedicatedly discharging our duties; it is difficult for most of us to manage with financial hardship,” she said.
She informed that the guest teachers have met the Tawang DDSE, who, she said, gave assurance that their pending honorariums would be cleared. West Kameng DDSE LD Komu said that “official correspondence regarding the teachers’ salaries has been submitted, and we are expecting that the issue will be addressed soon.”
Seventy guest teachers had been approved for Changlang district, followed by West Kameng (53), West Siang (52), East Kameng (42), Longding (39), Papum Pare (38), Tirap (38), Kamle (35), Upper Subansiri (34), Tawang (33), Namsai (30), Kra Daadi (30), Kurung Kumey (29), Lower Siang (29), Siang (27), Upper Siang (26), Lower Dibang Valley (22), Leparada (22), Lower Subansiri (21), Anjaw (19), Lohit (18), Pakke-Kessang (16), Shi-Yomi (nine), ICR (eight), East Siang (seven), and Dibang Valley (five).
