Kohima, June 24 (MExN): The All Nagaland Adhoc Teachers Group (ANATG)- 2015 Batch with 1166 members have “gathered here at the state capital to register the grievances by agitating against the government.”
“As teachers, such acts may not be what is expected from us, but these hardships and grievances due to the government’s generosity of the salary paid to us is not an issue which started yesterday or last year, but has been since the time when a kilo of rice was Rs. 25.”
An emotional press release from the ANATG stated this today as it got ‘no concrete solution’ from the Government of Nagaland even until the 5th day of its agitation.
“Not a sting in our memory reminds us of being paid any Dearness Allowances even though our category of teachers performed the same duty as any of our counter-parts. Time and again we have been asked to suspend this ongoing agitation but the teachers who have gathered from across the state, expending the minimum possible amount cannot return back to our families empty handed. Staying here at the state capital for the past one week has drained all our monetary resources; here we do not state the amount we had to leave back with our families from our salaries, so that they do not die of hunger when we go back to our respective homes. It pains ourselves to see that our own fellow teachers with their infant babies and some sharing grieves with their unborn ones in their womb,” lamented the ANATG- 2015 Batch in its press release signed by President Ruguotsolie and Convenor of it Agitation Committee, Temsuchiba Aier.
“We are called nation builders but we are not even able to maintain our own homes. We are asked to nurture our students but we are left uncared. We are told to do our best, yet we are paid the least. For the past one week we have done what we believe could achieve our demands and yet we were only served with warning letters.”
The details
The ANATG comprises of Grade-III teachers such as GT, PT, AT, LT,DT, CI, KI and HT who have been appointed on Adhoc basis against the vacant state sanctioned post. The ANATG-2015 Batch reiterated that the appointments were made under certain terms and conditions by the government, where the Adhoc Teachers were mandated to undergo Required professional training i.e. D.Ed and B.Ed within two years, and were to be regularized after three years of continuous service by appearing Departmental Suitability Test.
According to their press release, the present ANATG -2015 Batch have “fulfilled all the procedures and norms laid down by the Government including the verification and clearances from the esteemed P&AR Department.”
They noted that the present adhoc teachers were all appointed prior to the December 31, 2012, with a “meager” fixed pay salary of Rs. 6700/- and Rs. 8400/-. Even after the completion of three years of continuous service and obtaining of professional trainings, “the government delayed the conduct of Departmental Suitability Test despite numerous official appeals to the department to do the needful.”
Ever since then the ad-hoc teachers have been drowned in bureaucracy without their appointments being regularised, leading to various phases of agitations that have now reached a fourth phase.
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Given the details, the ANATG-2015 Batch maintained that “Our suitability test was conducted prior to the filling of Writ Petition NO : W.P. (C) NO-145 (k)/ 2017 to the court, nor after the Interim Order dated 28-07-2017 was passed.” Thus, the teachers’ body stated that it is “left with no other logical options but to appeal the Government to utilize the available alternative possible means to regularise our service” through letters dated Kohima, June 22 and 23, and basing on the Observation Letter from the All Nagaland School Teachers’ Association which was tabled to the Government of Nagaland and the ANATG-2015 Batch on June 21.
