CTAN, NNQF urge Nagaland government to approve 129 assistant professor posts without delay

KOHIMA — The Combined Technical Association of Nagaland (CTAN) and the Nagaland Net Qualified Forum (NNQF) have called upon the state government to approve the recent proposal for creation of 129 assistant professor posts under the Higher Education department at the earliest.

Addressing a press conference at Kohima Press Club on Thursday, representatives of the two bodies raised several queries concerning the government's latest notifications related to recruitment under the Higher Education department. They expressed dissatisfaction over the lack of transparency and clarity on the matter.

After receiving the government’s notifications regarding the requisition of 34 assistant professor posts to the Nagaland Public Service Commission (NPSC) and the proposal for the creation of 129 posts on July 11, CTAN and NNQF had sought a meeting with the department and authorities concerned to seek clarity. However, they said that their request for a meeting was denied.

Also read: Nagaland Higher and Technical Education department moves to create 129 new assistant professor posts

“We demand a public display of all the 129 posts,” said Videkhono, a core member of NNQF, adding that although 34 assistant professor posts in Humanities, Commerce, and Science have been requisitioned, no details have been provided regarding the subject-wise distribution or the nature of these posts.

The association further questioned whether librarian posts were included in the requisition and pointed out that certain subjects have not been advertised for a long time. They also raised concerns about whether any of these posts are reserved for persons with disabilities (PwDs). Additionally, they sought clarity on whether these 34 posts were newly created positions or vacancies arising from other reasons.

“What happens to the 147 assistant professor and librarian posts that now stand null and void?” she asked, referring to the earlier absorption order revoked by the state Cabinet.

Read more: Nagaland Cabinet revokes regularisation of 147 contractual assistant professors and librarians

CTAN member Kaqheto Kughutu informed that prior to the July 2 notification proposing the creation of 129 posts, they had obtained details via RTI. According to the RTI, the breakdown of the 129 posts was 31 vacancies in Arts and Commerce streams, 69 in Science, and 29 for two newly established colleges—11 for Arts at Mangkolemba and 18 for Science at Wakching.

He noted that while these details formed part of the earlier proposal, the recent notification for the creation of 129 posts mentions seven sets of posts for creation and lacks further clarity. The CTAN urged the government to clarify whether this new notification supersedes the previous one.

Kughutu stressed the need for the government to expedite the approval process for the convenience of aspirants. “We have fought enough. It is high time for the government to address the grievances and take necessary action,” he said.

CTAN Convenor Meshenlo Kath shared that they had written to the Higher Education department seeking a meeting with the Manpower Rationalisation Committee (MRC) and the department for clarification but received no positive response. He appealed to the MRC to expedite the process of approving the 129 posts and forward the requisition to NPSC without delay.

“We request the MRC not to create further difficulties for aspirants. The post creation should be sent to the NPSC,” he added.

The NNQF and CTAN had earlier served two ultimatums, demanding that the 147 posts be requisitioned to NPSC, with July 12 set as the deadline. But having received the government’s notification on July 11, they decided to defer their agitation.

On a separate note, Kath questioned why departments such as Forest, Excise, and Police do not fall under the purview of the Nagaland Staff Selection Board (NSSB), which was established to ensure transparency in recruitment processes.