Shillong: The Meghalaya Cabinet on Thursday approved the introduction of a Structured Pay Framework for teachers engaged on fixed pay under the state Education Department, a move set to benefit around 23,099 teachers across the state.
The reform covers ad hoc and Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) teachers who were earlier drawing salaries under grant-in-aid arrangements or varying pay structures prescribed by the Government of India.
Officials said the lack of uniform pay and job security had led to long-standing demands from teachers’ groups for a structured and predictable remuneration system.
According to the government, extensive consultations were held with teachers and their associations over the past six months, following which the state had announced its intent to introduce the new framework ahead of Christmas.
The Cabinet has now given formal approval to the proposal.
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The government said it will use the next 60 days to finalise related structural and institutional reforms within schools to ensure smooth implementation of the framework.
The Structured Pay Framework will come into effect from April 1, 2026, and is expected to have an annual financial implication of about Rs. 817 crore for the state.
The decision follows sustained protests by ad hoc school teachers, who last year staged a protest march and launched an indefinite sit-in demanding the upgradation of ad hoc schools and teachers to the deficit system.
The agitation, led by the Federation of All School Teachers of Meghalaya (FASTOM), was called off after the state government assured the teachers of a new and improved pay structure.
