Itanagar, The Arunachal Pradesh Teacher Educators’ Association (APTEA) threatened to go on strike from Friday over the delay in the release of salaries to employees of District Institutes of Education and Training (DIETs).
In a statement, the association demanded immediate clearance of pending salaries and integration of the DIET payroll into the state exchequer system to ensure regular monthly payments.
Lecturers at the state’s 11 DIETs are recruited through the Arunachal Pradesh Public Service Commission (APPSC). The institutes are responsible for training in-service teachers and conducting the two-year Diploma in Elementary Education (DElEd) course for pre-service teachers.
APTEA president Tayon Dai said DIET teaching and non-teaching staff are regular state government employees and should receive salaries directly from the state government instead of depending on irregular Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) funds.
Employees across the state’s 11 DIET institutes have been facing recurring salary delays since 2019, leading to severe financial distress, he said.
“The uncertainty in salary payments has made it difficult for staff members to meet essential expenses such as house rent, bank EMIs, children’s education fees and medical costs,” he said.
The association claimed that repeated representations to the authorities had failed to bring about a permanent solution, prompting it to announce the agitation programme.
As part of the protest, APTEA will observe a one-day pen-down strike on May 29, followed by a two-day strike on June 4 and 5. An indefinite pen-down strike will begin from June 15 if the issue remains unresolved.
