Nagaland: Ad hoc Teachers' Protest Over Service Regularisation Enters Fourth Day
Representational use only.image courtesy: Wikimedia Commons
A sit-in protest by ad hoc government teachers in Nagaland entered its fourth day today, September 29.
At the call of the All-Nagaland Ad hoc Teachers Group (ANATG)-2015 Batch, around 1,166 teachers have been "staging demonstration holding placards and banners" outside the State Civil Secretariat, Kohima, since Monday. These are the teachers who were appointed to various government schools in the period 1994-2012.
Bendangtemsu Ozukum, the spokesperson of the organisation, told the media that the agitation would not be called off until the government fulfilled the demand for service regularisation.
"Even if it is difficult travelling all the way here and staying at someone else's house, we will protest till regularisation comes through," a protesting ad hoc teacher told Eastern Mirror.
Another protester said they do not want any increment in their salaries; instead, their only demand is service regularisation. "We (have) come here from another district to protest the non-regularisation of our service. But, we are hoping that the government will regularise," she said.
However, Thavaseelan K, Principal Director, Directorate of School Education, said on Tuesday that ANATG-2015 batch members were appointed "irregularly without following proper norms" at different times between 1994-2012.
He further said that the government could not help the teachers because of a standing order of the Supreme Court and High Court against the regularisation of ad hoc appointments. Additionally, the department has asked the protesters to approach the court against the order.
The protesting ad hoc teachers got a boost after the Northern Angami Youth Organisation (NAYO) visited the protest site on Wednesday to express solidarity with their cause.
"It is disheartening when thousands of dedicated teachers who had roped in all their best efforts for more than a decade for the genuine uplift and welfare of the students are being made to suffer due to discrepancies and lopsided attitude best known to the Nagaland government and the concerned department," a statement by NAYO read.
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