Principal Correspondent
KOHIMA, NOVEMBER 25
Almost two weeks after picketing the offices of DEOs and SDEOs and abstaining from classes, the aggrieved Hindi teachers arrived at a three-point agreement with the Directorate of School Education on Tuesday leading to calling off their agitation with immediate effect.
The Hindi teachers had started picketing the DEO/SDEO offices on November 11, 2014 demanding early release of their six months pending salaries and also implementation of 6th Revision of Pay (RoP).
However, with the State government continuing to maintain that their salary would be released as and when it is received from the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), the aggrieved Hindi teachers had decided to picket the Directorate of School Education.
Nevertheless, sources said some of the representatives of the Hindi teachers reportedly held a meeting with the Parliamentary Secretary for School Education Yitachu at his residence on November 24 and arrived at some agreement. However, the same was not accepted by 1379 aggrieved Hindi teachers of 2012 and 2013 batch.
The aggrieved Hind teachers gathered at the DoSE premises with banners and placards demanding justification and fulfillment of their demand on Tuesday. Some of the banners read: “We ask only what is ours: Six Months Pending Salary, 6th ROP and regular salary” while the banners read “Teachers make all other occupations, possible, make possible for them to have a life too”, “Care the educators like they care your children”, “Government has not right to rob us”, “No more excuses, we want action”.
Trying to convince the agitators, Commissioner & Secretary School Education M. Patton said since the Hindi teachers 2012 & 2013 batch were appointed under CSS with 100% funding from the Central government, their salaries had been pending as it was yet to be released by the MHRD.
He, however, said the State government is not in a position to tell the exact date but everything has been pursued with the Centre for early release. He also informed that the Centre has sanctioned the money meant for the salaries of the Hindi teachers but it is yet to be received by the State government.
He further maintained that the delay was due to delay in submission of utilization certificate by the respective DDOs. The C&S also clarified that the there is no misappropriation of the funds meant for their salaries and even the pension contribution has not been misused by the department.
He said even during the period of agitation, the department had arrived at two agreements with the representatives of the Hindi teachers on November 19 and 23, but they have refused to accept it. He, therefore, the requested the Hindi teachers to have only one Association.
Patton also disclosed that the government has accepted their demands and also agreed to implement the 6th RoP and give the arrears since their date of joining the services, while the pending salaries would be released as and when received from MHRD. He, therefore, appealed to the teachers to call off their agitation.
On the other hand, Secretary to the Government of Nagaland, Finance, Y. Kikheto Sema persuaded the aggrieved teachers by highlighting and supplementing the Commissioner & Secretary.
He asserted that DDOs would be penalized for delay in issuing utilization certificate in future.
However, refusing to accept the verbal assurance of the government officials, the teachers continued to demand that the government fix a date for release of their salaries and that it should not be delayed in future.
Nevertheless, at the call of the on the spot meeting between their representatives and bureaucrats, the following agreement was arrived at.
That the salary of the aggrieved Hindi teachers shall be paid as soon as the fund is received from the MHRD within January 31, 2015.
That the pay arrears due to them as a consequence of implementation of Nagaland Services, RoP 2010 shall be released as and when fund is received from the MHRD as per the entitlements of each Hindi teacher on the basis of their date of joining service within January 31, 2015.
That in appreciation of the problems faced by the aggrieved Hindi teachers for non receipt of their salary for six months due to non receipt of the money from the MHRD, the State government has agreed to release three months salary i.e. for the months of May and July, 2014 in anticipation of the release to be made by the MHRD.
On the basis of the above three agreements, the aggrieved Hindi teachers have agreed to call off their agitation with immediate effect.
The agreement was signed on behalf of the government by M. Patton and Kikheto Sema while 19 representatives of aggrieved Hindi teachers from all the districts signed it.
