DIMAPUR, APRIL 13 (MExN): The Nagaland University Research Scholars’ Forum (NURSF) and the Nagaland University Students’ Union, Lumami (NUSU-L), have issued a strong joint objection to what they described as “backdoor appointments” of contractual Assistant Professors without proper competitive examinations. Both bodies have called for immediate reversal of the move and the upholding of merit-based recruitment through the Nagaland Public Service Commission (NPSC).
In a separate but aligned press statement, the NURSF condemned the appointments notified by the Joint Secretary to the Government of Nagaland via Order No. HTE/HE/13-3/2020 (Pt-1), dated December 17, 2024, and followed by posting orders issued by the Under Secretary on April 8, 2025. The Forum stated that these appointments were later rejected by the Additional Secretary to the Government of Nagaland, Higher and Technical Education Department, on April 10, 2025, declaring the notification unauthorized.
Despite this, the Forum expressed serious concerns that “the candidates whose name are listed in that Order may get regularization and absorption, eventually.”
“The Nagaland University Research Scholars’ Forum NURSF (L) expresses its deep concern and vehemently condemn over the practice of backdoor appointments, particularly in academic posts such as Assistant Professors,” the statement read. It further added that such appointments pose “a direct threat to academic integrity, research excellence, and the aspirations of hundreds of qualified candidates.”
The Forum said, “Equal Opportunity as a Right, Not as a Privilege under Article 16 (1) & (2) of the Indian Constitution… Professional merit must always prevail over favoritism, and the sanctity of public recruitment cannot be compromised under any circumstances.”
Echoing these sentiments, the Nagaland University Students’ Union, Lumami, stated in its own release that it “expresses its firm opposition to the recent decision by the Department of Higher Education, Nagaland, to regularize contractual Assistant Professors without conducting proper competitive examinations through the Nagaland Public Service Commission (NPSC).”
Calling the move “deeply regressive and unjust,” the Union said it “directly undermines the principles of transparency, meritocracy, and equal opportunity that are foundational to a fair education system.” The NUSU-L warned that this sets “a dangerous precedent for future appointments.”
The student body also pointed out that many deserving youth, including NET and Ph.D. holders, who have worked to meet national academic standards, are being “systemically excluded due to non-merit-based appointments.”
NUSU-L voiced solidarity with the Nagaland NET Qualified Forum (NNQF), Dimapur Naga Students' Union (DNSU), and other civil society organizations opposing the move. “We reaffirm our commitment to defending the rights of students and ensuring that education in Nagaland remains a space where merit, not influence, determines opportunity,” the Union stated.
