[ Litem Eshi Ori ]

The Integrated Scheme for School Education (ISSE), formerly known as SSA, stands as a pillar of hope for millions of children across the country. It promises education, opportunity, and a brighter tomorrow. But behind this noble mission lies a painful truth – the silent suffering of the very people who keep this system alive.

ISSE (SSA) teachers are not just employees; they are nation-builders. Every day, they walk into classrooms with dedication, shaping young minds and nurturing the future of society. Yet, while they devote their lives to building the nation, their own lives remain uncertain and neglected.

In Arunachal Pradesh, the condition of ISSE teachers is deeply heartbreaking. More than 6,000 teachers continue to serve under the SSA/ISSE system without any real assurance of stability or regularisation. Year after year, promises are made and policies are announced, but very little changes on the ground. Even assurances to regularise a small number of teachers annually remain largely unfulfilled.

Many ISSE teachers have already dedicated 17 to 18 years of their lives to the education system. Nearly two decades of selfless service – yet no guarantee of a secure future. Their regularisation depends not on experience, dedication, or years of service, but simply on the availability of vacancies. For many, that opportunity may never arrive.

If the present trend of regularisation continues – where only a handful of teachers are regularised against vacancies created by the retirement of regular teachers – it may take another 30 to 40 years to regularise all 6,000-plus ISSE teachers. For many, regularisation is no longer a hope within reach, but a distant dream fading with time.

Perhaps the most painful reality is this: students once taught by these very teachers return to the same schools as regular government teachers, while their mentors continue serving in the same contractual posts – unchanged, unseen, and unrecognised. It is a silent injustice that cuts deeply into the hearts of those who sacrificed their youth for education.

Today, the situation has become even more difficult. ISSE teachers have not received their salaries for the months of April and May. This delay has created immense hardship for thousands of families across the state.

This is the crucial season for paddy cultivation – a time when families require financial support for farming activities. It is also the period for children’s school admissions, when parents struggle to arrange admission fees, books, uniforms, and other educational expenses. Without salaries, many ISSE teachers are facing severe financial distress and emotional pressure.

One lady ISSE teacher painfully questioned: “Do ISSE teachers not have families? This is the time for paddy cultivation and our children’s school admissions.”

Her words reflect the pain and frustration of thousands of teachers who continue to perform their duties despite facing uncertainty and neglect.

The reality remains harsh: ISSE teachers perform the same duties as regular teachers. They teach the same students, prepare the same lessons, attend the same schools, and shoulder the same responsibilities. Yet, the difference in salary and service benefits remains enormous.

Despite carrying equal workloads, they continue to face job insecurity, delayed and irregular salaries, lack of career growth, absence of social security, and emotional and financial stress.

Still they continue to serve with commitment and resilience because they believe in education and the future of their students.

Their voices may be silent, but their suffering speaks loudly.

Regularisation may still remain a distant dream for thousands of ISSE teachers, but at the very least, there must be equal pay for equal work. When teachers perform the same responsibilities, teach the same students, and dedicate the same effort as regular teachers, they deserve fair and dignified treatment.

It is time for the government and the authorities concerned to listen with compassion and act with responsibility. Ensuring timely salaries, job security, fair treatment, equal pay, and proper recognition is not a favour – it is justice long overdue.

If we truly value education, we must first value the teachers who have silently carried the education system on their shoulders for years.

Most SSA (ISSE) teachers have also been engaged in census-related duties. While regular employees receive benefits such as earned leave (EL), contractual staffers remain excluded. Many teachers feel they are treated with a ‘use and throw’ attitude. On top of this, salaries have remained unpaid for months, and fears are growing that the delays may continue further.

Many teachers now believe that organisations like the ASSATA should strongly raise these issues before the authorities concerned.

Another ISSE teacher shared emotionally that shopkeepers from whom they regularly purchase essential commodities on credit have started demanding repayment after 2-3 months of pending dues. Teachers say they now feel embarrassed and ashamed even to request for basic household necessities.

Their struggle is not only financial – it is deeply emotional and human.