The Meghalaya College Teachers’ Association (MCTA) said on Friday that the withdrawal of the Structured Pay Framework (SPF) notification did not resolve the core concerns of teachers. While the SPF had been criticised as an ill‑conceived plan, the association highlighted that more pressing issues remain, including a backlog of over 40 vacant teaching posts, delays in the implementation of UGC pay scales, and the non‑payment of revised Dearness Allowance (DA).
MCTA president SK Pradhan expressed solidarity with school teachers, particularly those working under the deficit‑running‑rate system. He said the association would support them in future actions and noted that teachers need to take to the streets to have their concerns addressed. Pradhan welcomed the SPF withdrawal but called its initial introduction a mistake that sent a message that agitation is necessary to secure basic entitlements.
The association’s survey found 34 of 488 sanctioned posts vacant, a figure that has since risen above 40. Pradhan stressed that filling these vacancies is urgent in light of the National Education Policy 2020 and the introduction of a fourth year in the Four‑Year Undergraduate Programme. He warned that students should not be forced to move between colleges because institutions lack faculty or infrastructure to offer the additional year.
Pradhan also demanded the immediate roll‑out of the UGC pay scale for teachers who meet the required norms and called for the payment of the revised DA percentages—55, 58 and 60 per cent—to teachers appointed under the ECCCA system. He urged the government to engage in meaningful dialogue with the teaching community to resolve the pending issues.
