Nagaland Cabinet puts on hold regularisation of 147 assistant professors and librarians

KG Kenye and Temjen Imna Along after an emergency Cabinet meeting in Kohima on Monday. (EM Images)

• KOHIMA —  Amid protests, the Nagaland Cabinet on Monday decided to keep the regularisation of 147 assistant professors and librarians in abeyance.
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• A five-member committee led by Agriculture Production Commissioner Wezope Kenye has been formed to look into the matter, and the panel has been given two months' time to submit its report.
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• Minister for Higher Education and Tourism Temjen Imna Along told this to media persons after the emergency cabinet meeting held at the Chief Minister's Residential Complex in Kohima.
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• After noting the agitations by stakeholders, the Cabinet deliberated on the absorption issue at length and had decided to keep the absorption/regularisation in abeyance, he said and added that proper deliberations will be done later with all the stakeholders.

Also read: Naga Students' Federation issues 7-day ultimatum to state government over regularisation issue

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• The minister appealed to all the stakeholders—especially the NSF, NNQF, CTAN and all the affiliated bodies—to cease their agitation as the committee has been given two months’ time. As the absorption has been kept in abeyance, he urged them to come forward and wait for the committee members.
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• He maintained that keeping the regularisation in abeyance is a “win-win situation” for everybody.
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• Along clarified that contractual engagement has been followed since 2009, with the latest one being in 2020, when Wangkhao Government College in Mon was closed down by students for three days due to the lack of teachers.
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• The matter was taken up in the state assembly, and a committee was subsequently set up, following which seven of them were appointed after proper interviews, he added.
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• The government is ensuring that more posts are created in the days to come, he said. “New colleges are going to open. At the same time, as per the need of the NEP 2020, we want to fill up the aspirants into the right post and the right job.
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• "So I think we should work together and should be able to give up our presumptions and assumptions because it is not that these 147 contractual teachers are the only ones that we need. We need all to participate in the human resource development of the state,” Along said.
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• He told them that now, as their agitation and their voices have been heard by the government, the Cabinet has kept things at rest until further steps are properly taken.
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• Minister for Parliamentary Affairs and Power, KG Kenye, said that the committee constituted is a neutral body that will delve into the issue.
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• He asserted that the committee will conduct a neutral study and bring out the “best suggestions” on the matter.
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• The government will take a call after listening to their findings on the issue, he said.
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• Kenye added that the government is "very serious" about the matter as it pertains to the education sector, and it really does not want to antagonise teachers at any level.
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• He further added that they don't want the students to be deprived of their education. He appealed for the agitation to be called off and for good sense to prevail.