No time for politics–release our salaries, teachers to govt.

Dimapur, May 25: The All Nagaland Aggrieved Hindi Teachers Association (ANAHTA) has expressed anger for what it stated was the state government’s continuing denial of the salary due to them. The teachers have students to take care of; they do not have the time or resources to approach the government time and again to seek redress for what was rightfully theirs, the Hindi teachers stated.

The organization issued a press release on Wednesday demanding that the government make necessary arrangements to release the pending salaries at the earliest.

The teachers stated: ‘The ANAHTA having denied the monthly pay for another four months urge the state government to make the necessary arrangement and release the pending salaries. As we the teachers have reiterated time and again for the timely release of our salaries, however, the same trend of delay continues. By the inaction of the government on timely release of our salaries, we have been on several occasions forced to agitate.’

The teachers remarked that the state government must now “kindly allow the teachers to focus on the students as it should be.”

“The state government and the department may kindly be reminded that we the teachers cannot approach the authorities time and again because we have to teach the students, we also do not have the resources to keep on approaching the authorities for what is rightfully ours. The esteemed authorities should be kindly reminded that the salaries and the survival is a matter of rights,” the ANAHTA stated.

The ANAHTA also urged the department in concern to direct its subordinate officers in the districts to release the
salaries within a time scale as some of the organization’s members were yet to receive their due for December and January. The payment was due to be released by the first week of the month “making the aggrieved teachers to wait for more than three weeks after the order has been released,” the ANAHTA stated.

“The ANAHTA also ask why the teachers were made to suffer more and is it not the responsibility of the department to direct its subordinate officials to disburse our salaries within a time frame.”

The ANAHTA has asked the Nagaland government to carry forward the matter of the Hindi teachers “which is due to be complete its five years term by March 2017.”

“It is clearly mentioned in all the sanction letters of MHRD page 2 (No. 4), which states, ‘The responsibility of maintenance of Hindi teachers and payment of their salaries after the completion of the terminal year of the next plan period rest upon the state government. They will be required to discharge this responsibility out of their own resources in their budget and there will be no liability on part of Central Government in this regard.’”

The ANAHTA also requested directorate of School Education, and the secretary for Finances and the Parliamentary Secretary for School Education, to address the teachers’ grievances by immediately releasing said salaries up to the month of May.

The organization cautioned that “if our grievance is not redressed, we shall be (left) with no option but to take our own course of action for which the government and the department shall be held liable.”