Shillong, November 4: Representatives of the Khasi Jaiñtia Deficit School Teachers’ Association (KJDSTA) and Garo Hills Deficit School Teachers’ Association (GHDSTEA) met Commissioner and Secretary of the Education Department Vijay Kumar Mantri on Wednesday to press their pension-related demands, warning of further agitation if the government fails to address their grievances.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, KJDSTA president B. Pala accused the Education Department of misleading teachers and questioned its handling of the pension issue, particularly the changes made to the Board of Trustees responsible for the pension scheme.
Pala said the representatives submitted a memorandum in response to a public notice issued by the department. He alleged that teachers first came to know about the notice through newspapers and received a copy only during Wednesday’s meeting, nearly a month after its publication.
Questioning the department’s direction to submit objections to the 2026 pension scheme before the Board of Trustees, Pala said repeated changes in the board’s composition had raised questions about its legitimacy.
He claimed that the board constituted in 2023 had played a role in framing the pension scheme that year. However, subsequent reconstitutions had raised concerns over the composition of the board that approved the 2026 scheme. He also alleged that teachers’ representatives could not attend the meeting at which the scheme was approved because the invitation reached them too late.
Pala further questioned the reconstitution of the board on April 27, 2026, alleging that contributing teachers and employees had been excluded while individuals who had not contributed to the fund were included.
Reiterating the demand for implementation of the 2023 pension scheme, he said it was formulated following a government commitment to frame a scheme acceptable to employees, taking into account suggestions submitted by teachers. He questioned why the scheme had not been notified and urged the government to resolve the matter.
Pala said teachers began transferring their Contributory Provident Fund (CPF) money to the Centralised Provident Fund account in 2024 on the understanding that the 2023 scheme would be implemented.
“By transferring our CPF money in 2024, we were clearly opting for the 2023 scheme. We could not have opted in 2024 for a scheme that would come only in 2026,” he said.
The teachers also demanded written replies to all future representations. Pala called for any detailed discussions on the 2026 scheme to be conducted on camera, alleging that accounts of previous meetings had been distorted and statements disputed afterwards.
He said Wednesday’s meeting had failed to provide any clear assurance and urged the department to issue a substantive written response and implement the benefits teachers claim are due under the relevant 1969 Act.
Warning of continued protests if their demands remained unresolved, Pala said teachers wanted to focus on their students rather than repeatedly approaching the authorities or taking to the streets.
With examinations approaching, he urged the government to act promptly to prevent any disruption to academic activities.
The Education Department’s response to the allegations was not available at the time of publication.
