Staff Reporter

ITANAGAR, 11 Jun: Adviser to the education minister, Mutchu Mithi, on Thursday held a meeting with members of the Arunachal Pradesh Teacher Educators’ Association (APTEA) to discuss the grievances of the association.

The meeting took place on the back of the recent announcement made by the APTEA that it would go ahead with an indefinite pen-down strike from 15 June onwards if the state government does not accept its demand for timely release of salaries of SCERT and DIET employees through the state head.

So far, the association has conducted two phases of pen-down strikes, with the first phase held on 29 May and the second phase on 4 and 5 June.

In a statement, the APTEA informed that, during the meeting, the adviser assured the association that a meeting between the representatives of the APTEA and Education Minister PD Sona would be convened upon the minister’s return from New Delhi to discuss the issues raised by the association.

“In view of the assurance extended by the government, and in response to its request, we agreed to defer our third phase of pen-down protest, which was scheduled to commence on 15 June onwards. Accordingly, APTEA has decided to postpone its proposed indefinite pen-down protest for a period of 15 days, from 15 June to 30 June, until further decision,” the association stated.

The association added that it remains hopeful that its long-pending demand for ensuring timely and regular payment of salaries through the state exchequer will be resolved permanently in the interest and welfare of all concerned.

“We remain steadfast in our commitment to safeguarding the rights and interests of all our members and will continue to pursue this matter until a lasting and satisfactory solution is achieved,” the APTEA added.