Shillong, August 22, 2025 – The All Meghalaya Primary School Teachers’ Association (APSTA) on Friday staged a protest rally from Jail Road to Golf Link Dorbar Shnong, demanding that the State Government address their long-pending grievances and withdraw what they termed as “anti-teacher” policies.

The teachers, carrying placards with slogans such as “No to MEG”, “We serve Education, not agreements”, and “Save posts, secure our future”, opposed the Mission Education Grant (MEG) scheme and expressed concern over moves towards school privatisation.

APSTA also pressed for the immediate clearance of the 46% and 49% arrears of Dearness Allowance (DA), alleging that non-payment has severely strained their lives and undermined the teaching profession.

“Teaching is not merely a wage-based job but a lifelong service to society. The government must provide security and stability for teachers instead of policies that push them into hardship,” the APSTA leaders asserted.

The association listed several key demands, including:

Retention of all Deficit Posts without abolition.

Safeguards for teachers’ service conditions through clear directives.

Transparency in the MEG scheme.

Oversight on the powers of School Management Committees (SMCs) and Governing Bodies (GBs).

Clarity on the Contributed Provident Fund (CPF) managed through SBI Laitumkhrah.

Filling of long-pending teacher vacancies, especially in Khasi and Garo subjects.

Public consultations prior to the implementation of the MoU with the Mother’s Union, Tura.

APSTA president F.C. Shullai called upon the government to resolve the issues in a transparent manner, warning that failure to do so would compel teachers to continue their agitation.