Staff Reporter
Guwahati: In a major relief to primary school teachers, the Government of Assam has finally acceded to their demand for counting their non-academic duties in the official portal.
Samagra Shiksha, Assam (SSA) director Ayush Garg made this announcement during a meeting with representatives of the Assam State Primary Teachers' Association (ASPTA) here on Wednesday.
Accordingly, all extracurricular and non-academic duties performed by teachers across Assam will be recorded on the Shiksha Setu portal, enabling authorities to assess the extent of non-teaching work assigned to teachers.
During the meeting, held at the invitation of the SSA to discuss issues concerning the development of teachers, students and educational institutions across the state, the association demanded that use of personal mobile phones for accessing the Shiksha Setu portal be discontinued.
The SSA director assured the delegation that steps would be taken to review and streamline the use of personal mobile phones on the portal in accordance with Gauhati High Court directives.
He also assured them that the practice of creating and closing WhatsApp groups arbitrarily would be examined.
Several other issues concerning teachers and schools were discussed, with both sides reaching a consensus on a number of demands.
These included completing the distribution of school uniforms to students by December, revising the system of releasing infrastructure funds in instalments, and submitting a proposal to the state government for granting the Modified Assured Career Progression Scheme (MACPS) benefits to contractual teachers.
The meeting also discussed releasing 90 per cent of the CPF contributions due to teachers who were regularised through the SRD process for the period they served under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA).
The association further sought medical leave provisions for all teachers, solar-powered electricity facilities in every primary school, and the release of the pending incentive of Rs 25,000 to schools that secured an A+ grade in the Gunotsav assessment conducted during the 2024-25 academic year.
Another key issue was the financial losses incurred by schools following the linking of midday meal fund payments with attendance recorded on the Shiksha Setu e-portal.
Discussions were held on compensating schools for the resulting shortfalls, and both sides agreed on the need to release pending midday meal funds.
The ASPTA delegation was led by president Ratul Chandra Goswami and general secretary Shailendra Kalita. Vice-presidents Syed Ahmed Laskar and Mohan Haloi, along with assistant secretary Bijay Deka, were also present.
Representing the SSA were Garg, executive director Bipul Das and state programme officer Berati Mohan Kakoti, along with officials from various branches of the mission.
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