Combined Technical Association Nagaland and Nagaland NET Qualified Forum addressing a press conference in Kohima on April 19. (Morung Photo)
Morung Express news
Kohima | April 19
The Combined Technical Association Nagaland (CTAN) and the Nagaland NET Qualified Forum (NNQF) have raised a series of questions following recent remarks by Higher Education Minister Temjen Imna Along. In an interview with a digital news platform, the Minister addressed issues surrounding the controversial regularisation of 147 Assistant Professors by the Department of Higher and Technical Education in December 2024.
At a press conference held in Kohima, the associations questioned the government’s repeated denial of "backdoor appointments." They argued that any public appointment made without open advertisement falls under that definition. “If this is not backdoor, then what is?” they asked.
The Minister’s mention of a “special dispensation” was also challenged, with the associations asserting that such a provision applies only to those recruited through legitimate and transparent processes. “No one is above the law. Allowing a special dispensation now could set a dangerous precedent across other departments,” they stated.
Responding to the Minister’s comment labelling their recent peaceful protest as “unethical,” the associations defended their actions. The members said that the protest was prompted by a lack of response from the concerned authorities, and it remained peaceful and disciplined throughout. Any disruption in departmental functioning, they added, was a result of administrative inaction rather than the protest itself.
Members pointed out that the protest was a last resort, following years of appeals, memoranda, press statements, and direct engagements with department officials and the Minister. They also took issue with the Minister referring to the 147 regularised professors as “collateral damage,” calling the term one-sided and dismissive of the struggles faced by qualified aspirants.
“If those regularised had no sanctioned posts, how were they regularised? Were posts created overnight?” the members asked, alleging that the move bypassed established recruitment protocols. “Such actions undermine merit-based recruitment and violate the spirit of open advertisement.”
The associations also objected to the Minister’s claim that CTAN and NNQF are not registered bodies, noting that while CTAN may not be officially registered, most of its constituent organizations are. They argued that legitimacy lies not in institutional labels but in representation of those directly affected.
They also questioned the Minister’s decision to consult only certain student bodies like the Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) and the All Nagaland College Students’ Union (ANCSU), stating this selective consultation reveals “vested interests and intentional exclusion.”
“The protesters include PhD holders and NET-qualified aspirants who don’t fall under NSF or ANCSU. This isn’t about rejecting those bodies, but about recognizing who is actually impacted,” they clarified.
On the Minister’s justification that contractual teachers were regularised out of practical need due to low salaries, the associations countered that these teachers had signed contracts with full knowledge of their terms. “Low salary is not the core issue. The concern is that more qualified, unemployed aspirants were never given a fair chance,” the members said.
They further rejected the government’s reasoning that the move was necessary to address a teacher shortage. “This crisis wasn’t caused by aspirants, but by the government’s failure to follow recruitment norms. If rules like NPSC Rule 9 Clause 4 were followed, such shortages wouldn’t exist,” they asserted.
The associations also criticized the All Nagaland Government College Teachers’ Association (ANGCTA) for allegedly mobilizing students in what they described as an “anti-protest.” “It felt like manufactured consent, with students being drawn into a stance against legitimate demands,” the members claimed.
The associations underscored that the core issue is not about qualifications but about the mode of appointment. “For anyone to sit for the CESE, they must already be NET or PhD qualified. The system should respect that.”
