Leo
Kohima
The ongoing agitation by the Nagaland Government Teachers’ Association (NGTA) is far more than a protest, it is a powerful call for the State to honour its own decision of full mainstreaming in letter and spirit. The 2,293 dedicated teachers of the erstwhile SSA & RMSA 2010 & 2013 batches demand nothing less than the immediate and permanent placement of their salaries under the State’s Non-Development (Non-Plan) head exactly as every regular government employee is paid. This is the only just, logical and permanent solution.
These teachers were recruited through fully transparent statewide open advertisements, competitive written examinations, viva-voce/interviews and clearances from P&AR, Finance and the State Cabinet. Their appointment orders carried no trace of “contractual” or “CSS-only” conditions. From day one they have enjoyed full scale pay with Grade Pay, MACP benefits, 7th ROP increments and pension under OPS/NPS, all governed by the Nagaland School Education Service Rules, 2017. They have served 13 to 16 years under the direct control of the Department of School Education, performing identical duties as regular cadre teachers.
The 2018 merger of SSA and RMSA into Samagra Shiksha preserved every existing post. The Cabinet-approved mainstreaming effective from 21st April 2022 (notified 2nd September 2022) integrated these posts into the State Education Cadre without creating any new ones. The Department’s own Annual Administrative Report 2022-2023 proudly records this integration. Administrative mainstreaming has already happened, now financial mainstreaming must follow without delay.
The Government has acknowledged the open recruitment, the absence of CSS restrictions in appointment orders and the teachers’ full enjoyment of regular entitlements. Yet it cites a central share of approximately Rs.78 crore (2024-2025) under Samagra Shiksha and claims that full shift to Non-Plan would impose an additional Rs.80 crore annual burden on the State exchequer. It also mentions past delays due to the SNA SPARSH system.
These concerns, while noted, do not alter the fundamental truth: once the State Cabinet mainstreamed these teachers into the regular cadre after the national merger, complete financial absorption under the State Non-Plan Budget became automatic and non-negotiable. Progressive states have already shown the way without hesitation:
1. Meghalaya to fully fund over 23,000 SSA/RMSA teachers from the state exchequer w.e.f. 1st April 2026 with structured pay, increments and security.
2. Tamil Nadu routinely absorbs all committed SSA liabilities into its non-plan budget, allocating fresh state funds whenever central shares lag.
3. Kerala on 18th February 2026 regularized 20,000 aided teachers with retrospective state-funded benefits.
Nagaland, having executed the cleanest and most transparent mainstreaming in the Northeast, must now complete the process with matching boldness. The so-called “additional burden” is not a burden at all, it is an investment in the very foundation of the state’s education system. The central share under Samagra Shiksha can continue to support infrastructure, training and other components, while the committed salary liability of these already mainstreamed regular cadre teachers belongs squarely to the State.
Dependency on fluctuating central releases has already caused uncertainty and hardship. The recent SNA SPARSH-related delays are fresh proof that partial funding can never guarantee the security that regular cadre status demands. The only permanent solution is full placement under the State Non-Plan Budget.
With the NLA Budget Session beginning 2nd March 2026, the Hon’ble Chief Minister Dr. Neiphiu Rio has the perfect platform to deliver the decisive Midas Touch. Announce the immediate, complete and permanent inclusion of these 2,293 teachers’ salaries under the State Non-Development (Non-Plan) head. This single visionary step will end the impasse forever, restore full dignity to dedicated educators, eliminate all future uncertainties, protect the education of over lakhs of students and set a historic benchmark for teacher welfare in the Northeast.
The solution is clear. The moment is now. Let the Midas Touch of Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio bring lasting justice and stability to Nagaland’s education system!
