Meghalaya government enhances grant-in-aid for 710 pre-primary schools

The Meghalaya cabinet has approved the enhancement of Grant-in-aid for 710 Pre-Primary Schools. 

The grant-in-aid has been enhanced from Rs 12,000 to Rs 18, 000 for all teachers at Pre Primary School level. 

Further, the Captain Williamson Sangma Technical University Amendment Bill which proposes to change the University to Meghalaya’s 1st State University i.e the Captain Williamson Sangma State University will be placed on the table of the Assembly.

Also Read: Meghalaya: Teachers press state government for hike in budgetary allocation, filling up of vacant posts

Just a week into the formation of NPP led MDA 2.0 government in Meghalaya, some of the lingering issues facing the education sector have begun to surface.

The Meghalaya Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan Schools Association (MSSASA) on March 15 raised the long-standing issues of the hike of teachers' salaries, timely release of grants, and filling up of vacant posts for teachers. The organization also urged the state government to allocate more money to the SSA in the budget for fiscal years 2023 and 2024.

"We would not wish for the same circumstance to arise, in which we will be required to take to the streets to demand the release of the salaries," MSSASA president Aristotle C. Rymbai spoke to reporters after meeting Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong, "The problem of delay or irregular payment of salaries of the SSA teachers is the need of the hour to address the need to increase the budget," Rymbai added.