Meghalaya teachers’ bodies walk out of meeting over provident fund scheme

Teachers’ associations in Meghalaya on May 6 walked out of a meeting convened by the state education department, opposing the proposed Centralised Fund Scheme and accusing the government of trying to “force” registration while the matter remains pending before the High Court.

The meeting, chaired by Education Commissioner and Secretary Vijay Mantri, was held to discuss the Meghalaya Non-Government Schools and Colleges Employees Centralised Fund Scheme, 2026, which seeks to streamline provident fund management for more than 30,000 non-government education employees across the state.

The proposed scheme covers deficit, ad hoc and SSA teachers, among others. Deficit teachers are employees of privately managed aided schools whose salaries are paid by the government to make up for shortfalls in institutional revenue.

Representatives of the Meghalaya College Teachers' Association and the Khasi Jaintia Deficit School Teachers' Association attended the discussions but later staged a walkout, claiming the process lacked transparency and failed to include all affected stakeholders.

KJDSTA president Bosswell Pala said there was “no point” in continuing with the discussions under the current circumstances.

He alleged that organisations such as the Garo Hills Deficit School Teachers & Employees Association and the Meghalaya College Non-Teaching Employees Association had not been invited to the meeting.

“If the government truly wants to hear the concerns of deficit teachers and employees, then all associations and all deficit employees should be invited,” Pala said.

The associations also rejected the government’s decision to implement the 2026 scheme and demanded restoration of the draft scheme approved in 2023, arguing that the newer proposal creates uncertainty over employees’ rights and savings.

A major point of contention was the government’s push for registration under the proposed framework despite the matter being sub judice before the Meghalaya High Court.

“The government itself is waiting for the High Court’s decision, yet registration for the 2026 scheme is being pushed. All we are asking for is what is rightfully ours,” Pala said.

The teachers’ bodies further objected to efforts to bring deficit employees under the Meghalaya Provident Fund Act, 1969.

“They are trying to create the impression that the Meghalaya Provident Fund Act, 1969, can include us. That is misleading and unjust when we already have a law specifically meant for us. We cannot accept that,” he added.

Another issue raised during the meeting was the presence of bank officials and members of the newly constituted Board of Trustees during the discussions. The associations questioned the role of these stakeholders and said there was still no clarity on how the revised scheme would function in practice.

Meanwhile, the education department indicated that it had taken a positive decision on a separate long-pending demand raised by retired employees regarding withdrawal of their contributory provident fund savings.

Vijay Mantri said retired employees had sought permission to withdraw 100 per cent of the CPF amount accumulated in their accounts.

“After due deliberation, the department has taken a positive decision in this regard and asked SBI officials to furnish the detailed statement of all concerned employees by the 10th of this month,” he said.

According to the department, the statements will be verified by the respective directorates before authorisation is issued, enabling eligible retired teachers and lecturers to withdraw the full accumulated CPF amount from the State Bank of India.