Panel to look into grievances of protesting SSA teachers

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, August 12

The administration has decided to constitute a fresh committee to sort out the issues of the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) teachers.

The SSA teachers have been protesting for the past several months, demanding release of their pending salaries and implementation of the 7th Pay Commission.

An official in the administration said the committee would be tasked to find a permanent solution to the grievances of the teachers.

“The committee that is being constituted will look for a permanent solution of the SSA teachers’ problems,” an official said.

Though the former government had promised that the issues of the teachers would be resolved, nothing concrete was done.

The teachers are also demanding that their salaries be delinked from the Central scheme by the Ministry of Human Resource and Development and be linked to the state Budget so that they get their benefits like the state employees.

The official said the administration was mulling releasing the salaries of the teachers ahead of Eid.

“The administration is serious about the issues of the teachers and regular meetings are being held to find a one-time solution,” said another official.

He said one of the difficulties in meeting the salary requirement of the SSA teachers was that “the MHRD has curtailed the salary component by 50 per cent under the new flagship programme — Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan”.

Officials said the frequent protests by the teachers were affecting the academics in schools and that was a major reason why the government wanted to resolve the issue soon.