Shillong: The Meghalaya government has rolled out a centralised provident fund scheme aimed at extending pension and social security benefits to more than 30,000 employees of non-government schools and colleges, officials said on Monday.
The “Meghalaya Non-Government School and College Employees Centralised Provident Fund Scheme, 2026” seeks to bring a wide range of employees, which includes deficit teachers and lecturers, adhoc teachers, SSA and RMSA teachers, Hindi and Science Grant teachers, pre-primary teachers, and non-teaching staff, all under a unified and professionally managed framework, they said.
“The scheme represents a significant and progressive reform as it extends structured provident fund and pension benefits to a wide spectrum of employees in the education sector,” the Education department said in a press note.
“By bringing all such categories under a single framework, the scheme aims to promote equity, transparency and sustainability,” it added.
Officials said a large number of employees have responded positively to the initiative, and the process of opening Permanent Retirement Account Numbers (PRANs) has already commenced in several parts of the state.
“It is encouraging to note that many employees have come forward to enrol under the scheme, and the PRAN generation process is underway in multiple districts,” the statement said.
However, concerns have been raised by certain sections of employees, particularly from deficit institutions, over aspects of the scheme. The matter is currently sub judice before the High Court of Meghalaya, officials said.
“The government has already placed the notified scheme before the Hon’ble High Court and is awaiting its decision,” the department said.
Reiterating its commitment to addressing concerns, the government said it has invited representatives of the concerned organisations for discussions.
“The Education Department has called a meeting with representatives of stakeholders on May 6 at 3 pm in the Main Conference Hall, Secretariat, to better understand their issues and explore possible resolutions,” the statement said.
“The government remains committed to safeguarding the interests and welfare of all teachers and employees, and to ensuring that the implementation of the scheme is carried out in a fair, transparent and inclusive manner,” it added. PTI
