Primary educators across Meghalaya are preparing to take to the streets of the state capital to challenge recent directives issued by the Education Department. The All Meghalaya Primary School Teachers' Association (AMPSTA) has scheduled a demonstration in Shillong on October 7, voicing serious opposition to several official notifications that have raised concern among teaching faculty.
Rally Schedule and Planned Procession Route
Speaking to members of the press on Monday, AMPSTA joint general secretary CD Synrem outlined the itinerary for the upcoming demonstration. The protest march is scheduled to commence at 10 am from the Community Hall located at Golflink. From there, the procession will move past Bishops Cotton Road and navigate through Fourth Furlong before looping back to Golflink, where the gathering will draw to a close.
Lack of Administrative Action Prompts Escalation
Synrem pointed out that the teachers' body had previously approached the Education Department on numerous occasions to voice its grievances, yet those representations failed to yield any positive outcome. She cautioned that if authorities continue to overlook the educators' charter of demands following the street protest, AMPSTA will convene a meeting to determine the next phase of its agitation.
Staffing Demands, Election Duties, and Order Reversal
A central demand raised by the association is the retention and timely recruitment of sanctioned vacant posts across government, deficit, and non-government educational institutions. In addition, the group is pressing the administration to sanction and create new teaching posts for institutions currently functioning with only a single teacher.
The association is also seeking an exemption for primary school instructors from being assigned Booth Level Officer (BLO) duties during elections. Further demands call for the regularisation of Lower Primary (LP) teachers who entered service in 2007, alongside those working in non-government LP schools. Finally, the educators have called for the immediate withdrawal of specific conditions detailed in the government order dated July 27.
