SHILLONG, MAY 4: Declaring the Meghalaya Non-Government Schools and Colleges Employees Centralized Fund Scheme, 2026 as a “fake CPF,” deficit grant-in-aid school and college employees on Monday launched a statewide poster campaign demanding the government revert to the draft scheme agreed upon in 2023.
The protest, organised across districts by the Khasi-Jaintia Deficit School Teachers’ Association (KJDSTA), Meghalaya College Teachers’ Association (MCTA) and other stakeholders, comes after the state government submitted the 2026 scheme to the court in April, replacing the earlier draft.
“The scheme 2026 released by the state government is totally against the interest and welfare of the deficit teachers,” KJDSTA Secretary Synshar J Marwein told reporters.
“As per notification it has clearly mentioned that it is NPS but I am telling you it is not NPS but it is only NPS-like which is totally wrong. Therefore, we will not accept this scheme.”
Marwein cited three main objections.
“First, on contributions: “If we talked about NPS, we need to contribute 10% from the basic pay and DA, meaning employer and employee should contribute 10% basic pay and DA. It depends on the government how much it will give whether it is 2 or 3 or 4% we don’t know.”
Second, on withdrawal limits: “It is written that you can withdraw the accumulated amount by only 50% but in fact, as per NPS we can withdraw 60%.”
Third, on coverage: “If we go to the NPF Act, 1969, it was supposed to be only for deficit teachers or staff but in that scheme it has included teachers of other categories as well.”
He added that current CPF returns remain inadequate.
“Those who joined before April 1, 2010 and those who joined after April 1, 2010, we are getting only 8%. I think we have to send a message not only to the government that is deaf, blind and apathy, but to the public that we need to get real NPS or CPF because the government is giving us a fake CPF 2026.”
Marwein confirmed the campaign would continue across Meghalaya but said further action awaits a decision from the KJDSTA central body.
“We as deficit teachers, we oppose the scheme which the government in April this year passed and submitted its order to court which changed the order which we all agree in 2023,” he said.
KJDSTA member I Marbaniang traced the dispute to 2017, when deficit teachers moved the Meghalaya High Court for a pension scheme for retirees. The court directed the government to resolve the matter.
In September 2023, the government drafted a framework: CPF for those who joined before April 1, 2010, and NPS for those after.
“The suggestions were accepted in the month of October 2023,” Marbaniang said.
Following court directions on the old CPF, teachers withdrew their funds in 2024 and deposited them in a consolidated SBI account at Laitumkhrah.
“However, since September 2024, we had withdrawn all our CPF and deposited it accordingly at the SBI, Laitumkhrah branch as directed by the government but unfortunately till date, the state government has not done anything on this matter,” she said.
The delay has hit retirees hard, she added.
“We feel bad for the teachers, who have retired in the recent years. Normally, we can withdraw CPF if needed as us teachers we do not get medical reimbursement as government employees. The teachers who are facing with medical emergencies, from where will they get money since they do not get pension, the CPF which is saved from their salary throughout their services till now also they are not getting.”
“Despite this, suddenly instead of the government submitting the order drafted and accepted in 2023, it went ahead submitted the draft scheme 2026, which we as teachers we cannot accept it at all,” Marbaniang said.
The campaign was a peaceful democratic expression of the concerns of teaching and non-teaching employees, including retired staff members who stated that the 2026 scheme “affects the financial security of thousands of employees of deficit grant-in-aid institutions and overlooks established legal safeguards.”
The stakeholders also appealed to the government to “respect the legitimate rights of employees, uphold existing legal provisions, and refrain from imposing any policy detrimental to the welfare of serving and retired staff.”
Posters at the protest read: “Without deficit teachers, Meghalaya will be an educationally deficit state,” “Retirement with harassment by the government,” “Our demand: mutually agreed draft scheme 2023,” “Post April 2010 teachers deserve a secure NPS, not an uncertain hybrid,” and “Dear government: respect your own notifications, give scheme 2023 and NPS not scheme 2026.”
