Meghalaya: Over 3,300 SSA schools submit NOCs to handover management to government

SHILLONG: Over 3,300 Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan schools in Meghalaya have sought to come under the direct management of the state education department by submitting their No Objection Certificates (NOCs), a teachers' body claimed on Wednesday. Of these, 3,034 are community-managed schools and 298 are run by religious institutions or private bodies, according to the Meghalaya SSA Schools Association (MSSASA).

Talking to reporters after a meeting with the commissioner and secretary of the education department, MSSASA president Aristotle Rymbai said the department has received NOCs from 298 schools managed by religious or private organisations that have expressed their willingness to hand over their management to the government.

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Rymbai added that the Association has demanded the state government formulate a proper pay scale for SSA teachers. "We are happy as the commissioner and secretary showed us a presentation indicating that a proposal on pay scales has been prepared. After the Assembly session, the proposal will be sent to the finance department and then to the cabinet for approval," he said.

On rationalisation of SSA and government schools, Rymbai said the process has already begun, with some districts redeploying teachers from schools with single-digit enrolment to those with higher student strength. Currently, Meghalaya has a total of 5,131 lower primary (LP) and upper primary (UP) SSA schools.