SHILLONG, OCT 31: The Khasi Jaintia Deficit School Teachers’ Association (KJDSTA) on Saturday said various school managing committees have extended their full support to its ongoing agitation against the state government over the failure to address its charter of demands, which has remained pending for nearly two years.

Addressing the media after a joint meeting with representatives of different school managing committees, KJDSTA president Boswell Pala said the Association’s executive committee had apprised them of the various issues affecting deficit school teachers.

“The response from the different school managing committees was simply overwhelming,” Pala said, adding that the committees had expressed their support for the Association’s struggle.

Highlighting the pending demands, Pala said the Association was seeking resolution of issues relating to the Centralised Provident Fund (CPF), National Pension System (NPS), the 2023 pension scheme and the 2026 pension scheme, which the Association has already rejected.

He also alleged irregularities in the reconstitution of the Board of Trustees, delays in the enhancement of Dearness Allowance (DA) and its arrears, and the government’s failure to implement the proposed 10 per cent CPF contribution, which continues to remain at 8 per cent.

The Association also raised concerns over alleged irregularities in advertisements and recruitment to deficit school posts.

Pala said the KJDSTA had submitted its charter of demands to the Chief Minister and subsequently resorted to mass casual leave to press for action. However, he said the government had provided an unsatisfactory response to its demands on October 8.

Accusing the government of failing to honour its assurance on DA enhancement and arrears, Pala said teachers had been promised that the payments would be released before the Puja holidays, but the commitment had not been fulfilled.

“Why I say lie is because they told us that we would get the DA enhancement and DA arrears before the Puja holidays. Now, another kind of holiday will be coming up, but we still have not received the DA enhancement or DA arrears,” he said.

Pala said the Association had been raising these issues with the government for almost two years, but alleged that its repeated appeals had gone unanswered.

“It has been almost two years that we have asked the government, but it has turned a deaf ear to us,” he said.

Reaffirming the Association’s determination to continue its agitation, Pala said it would not back down until its demands were addressed. He added that the executive committee would decide on the future course of action, including any further intensification of the protest.