EMN
Dimapur, February 4
In a shocking disclosure that reflects how the system works in Nagaland, a village organization in Peren has alleged that the department of School Education brushed aside a case of forgery of signature and misuse of official stationary by a government teacher, by calling for “forgiveness.”
The instance is yet another case of the common practice in Nagaland where so-called amicable settlements brokered by community organizations or use of “Christian” pretexts are often engaged to let settle even crimes or breach of law. A statement issued by Nzauna Students’ Union (NSU) on Wednesday demanded clarifications from the department of School Education concerning the matter. By asking the department to uphold the laws that regulate institutions, the union has implied to the department that there was a distinction between ideals and concrete laws.
The statement from the NSU said that the Nzauna Village Council, Village Education Committee of Nzauna and the Nzauna Students’ Union had submitted a compliant jointly against a science teacher in the government middle school of Nzauna. The teacher is alleged to have used the seal of the head teacher without authorization and to forge signatures in applying leave.
The teacher, unidentified in the NSU’s statement, is alleged to have used the same illegal approach to transfer a knitting instructor to the government middle school of Tening Christian village. All these were committed without the knowledge of the VEC, the union said. This complaint was submitted to the departments’ head, the students stated.
“The NSU was surprised to learn your responses where you advised the NVC and VEC to just forgive the science teacher and that action shall be taken only if he commits the same in future,” a shocked NSU stated.
The union has demanded clarifications from the School Education department to a number of questions: “Why till now the department is not sending a departmental enquiry to the school to prove the facts? Is there no appropriate rules and regulations in the department to award action against such crime? Can anyone under the department be forgiven so easily without any action though one commit such crime? Do you still wait for him to breach for the second time thereafter initiate action?”
The students’ union has assured that it would by no means accept mere transfer of a science teacher post as an action taken.
“With regards to transfer of knitting instructor with post, in the handbook on commoditization of elementary education under the caption power and functions of VEC point 4, It was clearly mentioned that the recommendations of the VEC shall be taken into consideration while transferring /retaining teachers from/in the school under the VEC’s jurisdiction,” the NSU stated.
“But that the knitting instructor was temporarily attached with post to GMS Tening without the knowledge of the VEC. And when you were approached, it was your response to the NVC and the VEC that, ‘it is all the same whether the said instructor is posted at GMS, Nzauna or at GMS Tening as she has no work to perform and moreover the materials are not available in the school,’ an agitated NSU stated.
The union is “curious” to know that if the ‘No work no pay’ policy is for all the government employees, why the director would exempt the knitting Instructor from the policy.
“Or why did the director permit her to enjoy her salary without discharging her duty? Whose fault is it when the knitting materials are not available in the school? Why do you ignore the power and functions of the VEC which is formulated by the state government? Whether the service of the said instructor is needless or the post itself is unnecessarily created, if it is not functional?”
The union has asked the School Education director to uphold the rules and regulations laid for the department and initiate action as deem fit. The department must also revoke the transfer order of the knitting instructor, the NSU added.
