Our Correspondent
Kohima, Sep. 30 (EMN): The ad hoc teachers, who started a hunger strike on Friday, bluntly “rejected” the state government’s offer of bringing out a report on service regularisation study within one year in an attempt to solve the issue, and so the agitation will continue.
The All Nagaland Ad hoc Teachers’ Group (ANATG)-2015 batch had been staging a sit-in since Monday, demanding the state government to regularise their services, before they intensified the agitation at Solidarity Park, Kohima.
The decision to continue the hunger strike was ‘finalised’ after the All Nagaland School Teachers’ Association (ANSTA) executives along with its advisory board and a three-member delegation of ANATG)-2015 batch met with the commissioner secretary of School Education and the chief secretary of Nagaland separately on Friday to break the ensuing impasse between the protesting teachers and the government.
ANSTA representative told the gathering at the Solidarity Park that it was decided at the meeting to set up a High Powered Committee (HPC) within one month to study cases of service regularisation within and outside the state as well as find out “ways and means” of Uma Devi case. He added that the committee would then bring out its report within a period of one year.
The “conclusion” was made during the five-and-a-half-hour meeting after considering “every possible means”, he said, adding: “We tried our level best to negotiate with them (government).”
Maintaining that the ‘decision was taken after consultation with various stakeholders and in the best interest of ANATG-2015 batch’, the representative requested the protesting teachers “to study” the case and not be “disheartened” by the outcome of the Friday’s meeting.
He went on to assure them that ANSTA would pursue their case within a certain time period. “We will see that all of you will be regularized,” he told the gathering.
However, the outcome of the meeting didn’t go down well with the protestors.
“We are not going home; we came here for regularisation,” shouted a protestor from the crowd. “No negotiation, only regularisation,” said another.
A few protesting teachers also stood up and expressed disappointment at the outcome of the meeting even as their leaders tried to made them understand.
“We are not satisfied with the decision that has been taken and unless government regularises us (service), we will not be going home,” said a protesting teacher, adding that they “are not accepting the decision” taken at the meeting.
Another member said “all of us will go on a hunger strike” and that the decision should be taken together.
The agitating teachers entered the fifth day of protest and the first day of hunger strike on Friday.
A total of 38 members, including nine female members, went participating in the hunger strike.
A female protestor was on Friday taken to the hospital after she fell ill while on a hunger strike. She vomited after complaining of a body ache, fever, nausea and headache.
Around seven of them were showing signs of soar throat and body ache, it was informed.
Earlier during the day, the Regular Graduate Teachers’ Forum extended support to the ANATG-2015.