Our Correspondent
Kohima, Sep. 27 (EMN): The protest called by the All Nagaland Ad hoc Teachers’ Group (ANATG) 2015 batch against the government’s failure to meet its demand for regularisation of services entered the second day outside the Secretariat in Kohima on Tuesday.
Spokesperson of ANATG-2015, Bendangtemsu Ozukum, said it was “very unfortunate” for the government to direct them to go back to their respective classes. Such communication is “unbecoming” of the government and ‘we have no intention of going back’, he said.
He added that they had come for a “legitimate demand” and were asking for their “rights”.
‘There are also teachers who have come from far-flung areas. If there is no response from the government then the central office of the ad hoc teachers would take the matter’, he added.
He requested the government to “understand” them and come to a conclusion.
He also clarified that the 1166 teachers were appointed against the sanctioned post (retired/deceased) and were ‘not backdoor appointments’.
‘At the time when they were appointed in 2012, whenever any person retired, that post was immediately filled. But now with the NPSC and NSSB in place, people have started accusing us of backdoor appointments’, he said.
‘Back in 2018, they agitated during summer vacation but now it has come to such a point that they can’t wait for the vacation’, he said while adding that students are impacted to a great extent.
‘Maybe because we were very cooperative back then but this time we really mean it. We can’t help but jeopardise exams and classes that are going on’, he said and expressed hope that parents and students will understand them.
Principal Director of School Education, Thavaseelan K, said the department has notified ANATG-2015 that during the period of agitation, their absence would be treated as dies non and the principle of ‘no work, no pay’ will be imposed. This will go into their service book and would affect the number of days that will be considered when they get their gratuity pension.
Further, ‘we will start issuing show cause notice if it (agitation) keeps continuing’, the principal director said.
“It is not that the department doesn’t want to help but we are constrained by the judicial pronouncement from regularising their services at this point”, he said.
“The only solution for them is to go to the court and get the standing court order vacated for their regularisation to come through, provided the cabinet approves.
“If the court judgment is vacated, we would be able to consider and regularise their services. But until and unless the court judgment is vacated we are in no position to regularise their services”, the officer said.
Once the court judgment is vacated, “we will again put up the proposal to the cabinet to regularise their services”, he assured.
As for the suitability test conducted in 2017, results of which are yet to be declared, he said the court judgment came in after the test. “Even if we declare it, it won’t make any difference because of the court judgment,” he added.
He informed that the 1166 teachers span across 100 plus schools and they are trying to ensure that classes are not affected as much as possible.
‘The department is requesting other teachers to come in and take classes on their behalf. But if the protest keeps continuing, it will have to resort to disciplinary action’, he added.
The officer also added that he would be “more than happy” to sit with them and further discuss what can be done and what are the possible options.
He also said that appointments of these teachers were made against vacancies which needed to be filled up back then.
‘That is why they have been irregularly appointed. They have been granted scale pay and so the government has considered their plight’, he added.