The Meghalaya government has decided to implement revised pay under the fifth Meghalaya pay commission for teachers of deficit schools and colleges with effect from January 1, 2017.
This was approved by the state cabinet in a meeting chaired by chief minister Conrad K Sangma.
The revised salary will be paid from next month and arrears from January, 2017 to June, 2018 will be disbursed in four installments, 25 per cent each.
Education minister, Lahkmen Rymbui told reporters after the Cabinet meeting that Rs 126 crore would be required for paying arrears to the teachers, and additional amount of Rs 84 crore would be needed to implement the pay revision.
“Before the implementation of pay revision, the education department has been spending over Rs 278 crore per annum, after the implementation of revised pay, the government has to spend Rs 362 crore a year,” Rymbui said.
On how the government would manage its fund in view of the financial crisis, Rymbui said that the government would try its best to fulfill its obligations, and find ways and means to tab additional resources.
According to Rymbui, the education department has been spending 90 per cent of its budget for salary.
In total, there are 2,194 schools and 15 colleges, and a total of 7,380 teachers and 281 college staff that would benefit from the pay revision.
Rymbui said that the deficit schools and colleges include lower primary (1,911 schools and 3,852 staff), upper primary (136 schools and 877 staff), secondary (121 schools and 2,363 staff), higher secondary (17 schools and 186 staff), deficit-pattern secondary (9 schools and 102 staff) and deficit colleges (15 colleges and 281 staff).