SHILLONG: Meghalaya’s Minister, Lahkmen Rymbui, today met with the Deficit School Teachers Association to discuss crucial issues regarding teacher pay structure, dearness allowance (DA) arrears, and the implementation of the new MEGH-SIMS Portal.
Focus on Teacher Security and Restructured Pay
Minister Rymbui stated that the government’s primary goal is to provide a sense of security to teachers, particularly those currently under the ad-hoc or fixed-grant system, who face uncertainty about future salary amounts.
”It is the endeavour of the government that the teachers should have a sense of security… because as of now, they don’t know next year, how much salary will get,” the Minister explained.
The government is working towards a structured pay or structured grant-in-aid system that will unify the pay structure for various categories, including Adhoc, Fourth Teachers, and Hindi Teachers. This restructuring is essential, especially considering the Government of India’s withdrawal of the SSA grant by March 31, 2026.
”Our Chief Minister have promise that we will do the necessary thing which should be done and for all the Adhoc, Fourth Teachers, Hindi Teachers and so on and so forth, we will have one pay structure.”
The government is aiming to introduce this new structure by December 31, with implementation targeted for April 1 of next year. The Minister clarified that this initial restructuring focuses on the ad-hoc and SSA teachers, and does not currently affect Deficit teachers.
DA Arrears and Centralised Provident Fund
The association also sought clarity on the payment of Dearness Allowance (DA), noting that they currently receive 43%, while government employees receive 51%. The Minister acknowledged the issue, which involves arrears, and stated that time is needed to review the situation.
Regarding the establishment of a centralised provident fund, the Minister confirmed that the Government of Meghalaya had issued a notification on November 4, 2025, for the formation of a Board of Trustees. The board, chaired by Commissioner and Secretary Vijay Mantri, includes officials from Finance, Higher Education, and School Education, as well as representatives from colleges and schools. This board will be responsible for formulating a plan for the scheme’s implementation.
MEGH-SIMS Portal: The Way Forward
The teachers requested that the implementation of the MEGH-SIMS Portal for salary bill submission be temporarily suspended due to existing glitches.
Minister Rymbui emphasized that the portal is “the way forward” and that delaying implementation would only postpone the resolution of potential issues. He instructed the Commissioners Secretary to ensure that any issues related to migrating the service system to MEGH-SIMS should not delay the payment of teachers’ salaries, provided the institutions adhere to the guidelines.
