Mounting frustration over unresolved financial dues and recruitment delays has prompted school personnel in Meghalaya to mount a serious challenge against the administration. The Khasi Jaintia Deficit School Teachers’ Association (KJDSTA) alongside the Garo Hills Deficit School Teachers and Employees Association (GHDSTEA) have served an ultimatum to the state leadership, declaring that a failure to settle their list of grievances by October 9, 2026, will trigger coordinated demonstrations across the entire state.
Joint Communication to the Chief Minister
In a formal memorandum forwarded on Friday to Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, the employee groups highlighted their growing distress. They pointed out that nearly a month prior, they had formally sought an audience with the Chief Minister to present their difficulties, but the request received no response from official channels. Representatives underlined that both teaching and non-teaching personnel at deficit institutions have shouldered substantial difficulties for years due to procedural inertia and unresolved payroll commitments.
“For years, the deficit school community comprising dedicated teaching and non-teaching personnel who form the backbone of Meghalaya’s school education has endured severe financial strain, bureaucratic apathy, and systemic indifference.”
Disputes Over Dearness Allowance and Arrears
Foremost among the demands put forward is the immediate adjustment of the Dearness Allowance (DA) and the distribution of withheld arrears. Employee representatives explained that the workforce remains compensated at an older DA mark of 49%, despite sanctioned revisions that elevated the allowance to 51% beginning July 1, 2025, followed by another hike to 53% starting January 1, 2026. Furthermore, the associations are pressing for the disbursement of overdue arrears corresponding to the 43% rate for January and February 2024.
Discrepancies in Provident Fund Contributions
The joint platform also brought attention to shortfalls in government contributions toward the Contributory Provident Fund (CPF). They pointed out that an executive order promulgated on November 21, 2024, explicitly authorized an increase in the state's matching share to 10% of monthly earnings starting January 1, 2025. In practice, staff members continue to receive only an 8% matching share. The unions demand the retrospective implementation of the full 10% rate along with back pay accrued since early 2025.
Recruitment Delays and Institutional Representation
The memoranda also highlighted operational difficulties caused by lingering vacancies in sanctioned deficit positions, particularly slots left open following employee retirements. According to the associations, the failure to carry out timely hiring has created untenable burdens on active faculty, disrupted day-to-day administration, and harmed classroom instruction for pupils. They requested swift sanctioning for stalled job notifications, recruitment interviews, and final appointments under the traditional Deficit Scale of Pay, while rejecting attempts to restructure these permanent positions into temporary SPF contracts.
Furthermore, the teachers have sought total exemption from the Meghalaya Non-Government School and College Employees Centralised Provident Fund Scheme notified in 2026, labeling it mismatched with deficit school structures. They requested an unambiguous official order confirming this carve-out. Concurrently, they urged the full reinstatement of statutory powers and proportional representation on the Board of Trustees under the 1969 state legislation. Finally, the bodies requested a firm roadmap for completing CPF and National Pension System (NPS) transitions and asset transfers, cautioning that if the administration fails to act by October 9, unavoidable disruption to school routines and examinations will lie entirely at the door of the state government.
