Newmai News Network
Imphal | September 2
Teachers of Manipur government schools recruited under RMSA and SSA on Friday protested in front of the zonal education offices across the state in protest against a recent government order effecting a change in their salary drawing authority.
As per an order of the Department of Education (School) issued on August 12, a total of 3,480 teachers appointed under SSA and RMSA will have a separate new account head for their pay and allowance.
Striking SSA and RMSA teachers were integrated into the Education department after their posts were regularized two years ago. Since then they were drawing salaries “almost similar” to the regular teachers of the state Education department. Terming the latest order of the government as an act of ill-treatment toward the teachers of RMSA and SSA, the teachers under the banner of All Integrated Teachers’ Association, Manipur (AITAM) were on strike for the last three days while declaring that they will not cooperate with the government’s order of disbursing their salaries from a new account head.
In one of the protests held in front of ZEO Imphal West at Khoyathong, the teachers displayed placards read as “No segregation among teachers”, “Don’t demoralize teachers”, “No change in salary head”, “Equal work equal salary,”, etc. were displayed.
During the initial stage of the service, they suffered many problems due to the untimely disbursement of salaries due to non-releasing of the funds from the Centre.
They were not paid for eight to ten months straight, she alleged.
However, after they were integrated and regularized under the Department of Education (School) by the state government on a phase wise basis, they were getting the salaries regularly. She expressed apprehension of irregularities in the disbursement of salaries under the latest move of the state government.
The striking teachers announced that they will continue the protest until and unless the state government revokes the latest order changing their salary head of account.
