Shillong, May 4: Teachers of grant-in-aid schools and colleges in Meghalaya said the Meghalaya Non-Government School and College Central Provident Fund Scheme, 2026 does not address their concerns with regards to post-retirement benefits.

A school teacher and leader of Khasi-Jaiñtia Deficit School Association (KJDSTA) I Marbañiang today said that the newly launched scheme was different from the one drafted in 2023.

“The draft proposal of 2023 was circulated to all stakeholders and several suggestions were given by them for the benefit of everyone. Despite these suggestions being accepted at the time, the government came up with a new scheme that does not reflect the concerns and suggestions of the stakeholders,” she said.

Marbañiang said the main concern was regarding the structure of the Contributory Provident Fund (CPF) as under the new scheme, the benefits are unclear.

Stating that there are restrictions on withdrawal of the CPF, Marbañiang said, “We are being told that only 60 per cent can be withdrawn. That is not acceptable to us.”

She also said that contributions under the CPF have been lying in a pooled account without being credited to individual accounts for nearly 17 months.

According to her, retired teachers and non-teaching employees from 2024 till 2026 were facing difficulties in accessing their CPF.

“For retirees, the CPF is often the first source of financial support after retirement. Any delay is going to cause great hardship for them financially,” she added.