In January 1933, Adolf Hitler became the chancellor of Germany and the Jews living in Germany were automatically turned into second-class citizens. Of course, Hitler did not straightaway sign any official paper declaring the Jews as second-class citizens. But the fact that Hitler had such hatred and disdain for the Jews meant that, with Hitler in power, the Jews would never be treated as equals with the other citizens of Germany.
That was 1933. And now, more than 70 years later in a place called Nagaland situated between the borders of India and Burma, a certain section of its people are being treated like second-class citizens by their own government. These groups of people are the so-called ad-hoc teachers serving under the school education department.
Of course nobody has so far called these ad-hoc teachers as second-class citizens of Nagaland. But by the manner in which the Nagaland government has been treating them for over a decade now, I believe no one would argue even if the ad-hoc teachers are referred to as second class citizens of Nagaland.
Despite the fact that the ad-hoc teachers are also full-fledged government servants like any other, they have been subjected to numerous discriminations at the hands of their own government. I have already listed these discriminations endured by the ad-hoc teachers in my article ‘The Plight of the Ad-hoc Teachers’ which was published by this daily on 3rd March 2011.
I want to inform the government that the ad-hoc teachers are not illegal immigrants from Bangladesh or Myanmar and therefore, the government should not insult them every now and then by asking them to submit photocopies of their documents / educational certificates on one pretext or the other. Whatever documents / certificates we need to submit to the concerned authorities we have already submitted a dozen times. If the concerned authorities or the concerned offices have a problem in maintaining these records or documents, the fault lies with them and not with the ad-hoc teachers. Therefore, the ad-hoc teachers should not be punished every now and then for somebody else’s fault.
When the Nehru government created the state of Nagaland in 1963 the purpose of this statehood was to ensure that every Naga benefit equally from this statehood status. But, sadly enough, this has not happened for many Nagas including the ad-hoc teachers presently serving under the school education department. I am not saying that these teachers are not receiving any remuneration from the government for their services rendered. But the salary being paid to the ad-hoc teachers is too minimal and meager and it is not at all at par with the salaries being paid to the other government servants of the state. In other words, the salary of the ad-hoc teachers is not at all proportionate to the salary of the other government servants. It is indeed startling to know that the Nagaland government continues to pay the ad-hoc teachers with a pay-scale introduced way back in 1993 whereas the other government servants are now being paid with the new 2010 ROP pay-scale.
Here, I would like to clarify that in writing these things I do not hold any personal grudge against any of the officials or persons working in the school education department. In fact, some of the most wonderful persons I have ever known in my entire life work here in the school education department. Moreover, my father has also been working in this department for almost 30 years now. So, no other department in Nagaland is dearer and closer to my heart than the school education department. Therefore, I do not have anything personal against anybody working in this department. But I am against the system and I am against this lackadaisical attitude on the part of the concerned officials in the department. The concerned government officials know very well that this issue of the ad-hoc teachers has been there for quite sometime now. So they are not unaware of the matter. It is just that they are not addressing this issue in the real spirit. Let us all remind ourselves here that ‘justice delayed is justice denied’.
On the personal level, I would like to mention that I hold a post-graduate degree in political science from Delhi University and for over six years now I have been working as a teacher under this school education department. Under the normal circumstances, with my post graduate degree and my six years of continuous service, by now I should be getting around Rs.26000 – 27000 (in total emolument) as my monthly salary. But thanks to this ad-hoc label that has been stamped on my forehead, I am not getting even half of this as my monthly salary despite being a post graduate from a reputed university and serving selflessly for over six years.
These are the reasons and circumstances which have compelled the ad-hoc teachers to grumble - and rightly so.
Lastly, I assert again that the ad-hoc teachers serving under the school education department are not second-class citizens of Nagaland and therefore the government should not treat them as such. We are also full-fledged government servants like any other government servant in the state and as such we are also entitled to all the amenities and privileges being enjoyed by the other government servants. In the light of these facts we demand that the government immediately discontinue paying us with the 1993 pay-scale which was designed for the teachers seventeen years ago and implement the new 2010 ROP for us as well. Anything short of this would be too little too late for us.
Khrietuonyü Noudi
L.Khel, Kohima Village
That was 1933. And now, more than 70 years later in a place called Nagaland situated between the borders of India and Burma, a certain section of its people are being treated like second-class citizens by their own government. These groups of people are the so-called ad-hoc teachers serving under the school education department.
Of course nobody has so far called these ad-hoc teachers as second-class citizens of Nagaland. But by the manner in which the Nagaland government has been treating them for over a decade now, I believe no one would argue even if the ad-hoc teachers are referred to as second class citizens of Nagaland.
Despite the fact that the ad-hoc teachers are also full-fledged government servants like any other, they have been subjected to numerous discriminations at the hands of their own government. I have already listed these discriminations endured by the ad-hoc teachers in my article ‘The Plight of the Ad-hoc Teachers’ which was published by this daily on 3rd March 2011.
I want to inform the government that the ad-hoc teachers are not illegal immigrants from Bangladesh or Myanmar and therefore, the government should not insult them every now and then by asking them to submit photocopies of their documents / educational certificates on one pretext or the other. Whatever documents / certificates we need to submit to the concerned authorities we have already submitted a dozen times. If the concerned authorities or the concerned offices have a problem in maintaining these records or documents, the fault lies with them and not with the ad-hoc teachers. Therefore, the ad-hoc teachers should not be punished every now and then for somebody else’s fault.
When the Nehru government created the state of Nagaland in 1963 the purpose of this statehood was to ensure that every Naga benefit equally from this statehood status. But, sadly enough, this has not happened for many Nagas including the ad-hoc teachers presently serving under the school education department. I am not saying that these teachers are not receiving any remuneration from the government for their services rendered. But the salary being paid to the ad-hoc teachers is too minimal and meager and it is not at all at par with the salaries being paid to the other government servants of the state. In other words, the salary of the ad-hoc teachers is not at all proportionate to the salary of the other government servants. It is indeed startling to know that the Nagaland government continues to pay the ad-hoc teachers with a pay-scale introduced way back in 1993 whereas the other government servants are now being paid with the new 2010 ROP pay-scale.
Here, I would like to clarify that in writing these things I do not hold any personal grudge against any of the officials or persons working in the school education department. In fact, some of the most wonderful persons I have ever known in my entire life work here in the school education department. Moreover, my father has also been working in this department for almost 30 years now. So, no other department in Nagaland is dearer and closer to my heart than the school education department. Therefore, I do not have anything personal against anybody working in this department. But I am against the system and I am against this lackadaisical attitude on the part of the concerned officials in the department. The concerned government officials know very well that this issue of the ad-hoc teachers has been there for quite sometime now. So they are not unaware of the matter. It is just that they are not addressing this issue in the real spirit. Let us all remind ourselves here that ‘justice delayed is justice denied’.
On the personal level, I would like to mention that I hold a post-graduate degree in political science from Delhi University and for over six years now I have been working as a teacher under this school education department. Under the normal circumstances, with my post graduate degree and my six years of continuous service, by now I should be getting around Rs.26000 – 27000 (in total emolument) as my monthly salary. But thanks to this ad-hoc label that has been stamped on my forehead, I am not getting even half of this as my monthly salary despite being a post graduate from a reputed university and serving selflessly for over six years.
These are the reasons and circumstances which have compelled the ad-hoc teachers to grumble - and rightly so.
Lastly, I assert again that the ad-hoc teachers serving under the school education department are not second-class citizens of Nagaland and therefore the government should not treat them as such. We are also full-fledged government servants like any other government servant in the state and as such we are also entitled to all the amenities and privileges being enjoyed by the other government servants. In the light of these facts we demand that the government immediately discontinue paying us with the 1993 pay-scale which was designed for the teachers seventeen years ago and implement the new 2010 ROP for us as well. Anything short of this would be too little too late for us.
Khrietuonyü Noudi
L.Khel, Kohima Village
