SETAN calls off agitation after authorities give assurances
Morung Express News
Kohima | August 5
The Special Education Teachers’ Association Nagaland (SETAN) held an agitation at the Directorate of School Education on August 5 demanding for revoking of the termination of existing 360 SETs in Nagaland. The termination order was released on June 24 where the Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) Nagaland terminated the service of 360 Special Education Teachers (SET). The order made available to the media persons mentioned that the termination ‘has the approval of the Government vide their letter NO.DSE/CSS/IEDSS/2/4/2015) dated 03/05/2016. The agitators are demanding revocation of the termination orders and that no fresh appointments should be made until all the in service SET are absorbed and streamlined.
SET protestors informed that fresh appointments of SETs have been made without the knowledge of the public as well as the existing SETs. The termination order was further given without any prior information or reason for termination to the SETs. Most of the protestors viewed that one reason for the termination was because the SETs were untrained. “They assured us that they will give us training but later they told us to cover our own training expenses,” said an SET from Chetheba. At present, only 80 SETs in Nagaland have undergone the requisite training.
Another problem cited by the SETs was the limitation of seats in Training Centres. The training which is for three months costs around Rs.10,000. Since Nagaland does not have a training centre on special education courses, most teachers have to travel to other States.
The SETs, which come under the Inclusive Education of the Disabled at Secondary Stage (IEDSS) of RMSA, were appointed in the year 2012. The IEDSS was first launched in 2009-10 under the Ministry of Human Resource Development to provide assistance for inclusive education of disabled children in classes 9-12. The scheme was absorbed under RMSA from 2013. The MHRD mentions that the School Education Departments of the State Governments are the implementing agencies. It further states that central assistance for all items covered in the scheme is on 100 percent basis and the State Governments are only required to make provisions for scholarship of Rs.600 per disabled child per annum.
During the year of appointment in 2012, the teachers were assured by the government that they would be given a 5 days crash course and also be provided with the required training as mentioned under the MHRD. However the 5 days crash course training was held for one day, and the promised requisite training was never given. Since the year of appointment, each SET in Nagaland is receiving Rs. 8500 per month which contradicts the Central pay scale of Rs. 23,000 for SETs.
After the appointment in 2012, the Vigilance commission set up an investigation where almost 1000 bogus teachers were detected and terminated, with only 391 teachers found genuine. A document of meeting minutes held on a committee headed by the Chief Secretary on July 28, 2014 mentions that the freshly appointed 391teachers did not possess the requisite qualifications because of which they were being paid Rs. 8500 and not Rs. 23,230 as prescribed by MHRD. It was informed that they would be eligible for payment of the higher amount on completion of the training prescribed by the Rehabilitation council of India.
The preliminary findings of Task Force on IEDSS 2013-14 headed by the then Principal Director of School Education (dated 01/5/14) states that the teachers were appointed directly as per the terms and conditions laid down by the Government.
However the teachers who underwent the required training have not received the prescribed salary.
“The Project Director told us directly that it was no use to take trainings. And we found that he had already reserved 17 seats in one training centre most of whom were his relatives,” alleged an angry protestor.
Atoka, General Secretary of SETAN stated that terminating on the basis of being untrained is not acceptable when the concerned authority had assured them to provide training during time of appointments. During the agitation, a meeting was held with the concerned authorities (RMSA officials and School Education officials) and representatives of SETs, where the authorities have assured to request the government to revoke the termination order.
In a MHRD report, Nagaland received a total of Rs. 1,85,57,031 under IEDSS in 2011-12. Another RMSA report (Releases of funds under IEDSS dated 30/9/2014) indicates that Nagaland, received only 548.6 lakhs in 2010-2011, Rs. 731.03 in 2012-13, and Rs.1133.5 in 2013-14.
