DIMAPUR, NOVEMBER 5 (MExN): The Eastern Naga Students’ Federation has slammed the news article submitted by Kepelhoutuo Chusi in the name of All Nagaland School Teachers’ Association (ANSTA) on October 29, 2008, saying that it was detrimental towards the ENSF. The Federation denounced the ANSTA president and his association’s wisdom and suggested that they understand the ground reality within the ENPO jurisdiction “before you poke the other nose.” The ENSF further reminded to “let’s mind one’s own business.”
Considering the said article as uncalled for and very injurious to their demands, the ENSF added that the association should realise that ENSF was not demanding anything from the ANSTA but from the government to provide 10 years’ relaxation from the purview of the New Teachers Recruitment policy for only six tribes of the four districts. Therefore, it asked the association not to be a stumbling block with their advice to the education department against fulfilling the ENSF’s demand and misleading the citizens without understanding the cause.
The press statement by ENSF’s general secretary, P Methna Konyak, lashed out that the ANSTA has no authority like the education department and the state government to appeal to the ENSF in any form while it was demanding for rights and equal opportunities in the employment sector. Stating that presidents are the ones who lead any organisation, the federation stated that he must have indepth knowledge of the pros and cons of the problem before passing any comments or making press statements. The general secretary made it clear that the ENSF demands would not be compromised since it was a clear and genuine problem, and added that it needed no contradiction from any group or individual.
The release further appealed to the president to come and serve in one of the interior villages under the jurisdiction of ENPO as a qualified teacher with requisite qualification, while also demanding that he visit all the village schools within the four districts of Tuensang, Mon, Kiphire and Longleng, to “witness the actual facts and problems” before saying anything to contradict their demands.
“The ENSF do not need advice from you and your association because the Federation have better advisors to advise us in any matter with all their wisdom,” stated the release while also adding that any advice from “advance person is not applicable for us as it does not match our views.”
The federation also explained that it was not demanding the said relaxation for the entire Naga populace, but for just the six tribes under its umbrella and added that it was up to the government to consider the whole Naga population. They, therefore, asked the ANSTA to direct their demand to the government if they did not want any relaxation, and not to the ENSF. The ENSF also stated that the ANSTA and its office bearers should realise and analyse properly the long-term policy and be realistic about the practical problems faced by the Nagas in general and not live in a dream world.
It went on to make it clear to everyone that the ENSF appreciates the New Teachers Recruitment Policy framed by the education department and conveyed its desire to push this policy into practice for better and quality education. However, at the same time, it asked for a relaxation of 10 years exclusively for the six tribes of ENSF so that the people of Eastern Nagaland might also “catch up with the advance people” in obtaining the requisite professional qualification within the said period. The release finally concluded with emphasis that the ENSF would never compromise on anything with regard to their demand for relaxation.
