Nagaland ad hoc teachers pause hunger strike but continue sit-in, pressing government for specific regularisation date in Kohima.
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KOHIMA — The All Nagaland Ad hoc Teachers’ Group (ANATG), 2015 batch, has put on hold its indefinite hunger strike after receiving communication from the department of School Education, but announced that its sit-in will continue until the government or department announces a “specific regularisation date.”
Representing 1,166 ad hoc teachers appointed between 1994 and 2012, the ANATG batch of 2015 began its protest on February 4 over service regularisation. The agitation was intensified into an indefinite hunger strike on February 11.
On Friday, the ninth day of protest, the teachers shifted their protest location to outside the Directorate of School Education after earlier staging the sit-in at Naga Solidarity Park and the Capital Convention Centre.
In a letter to the ANATG on Thursday, Principal Director of School Education Shashank Pratap Singh requested the teachers to withdraw the “ongoing cease-work and resume duties”, stating that the government has already initiated action to meet their demands.
Also read: Nagaland: Hunger strike by ad hoc teachers continues as government response awaited
The letter stated that the “legitimate demands of ANATG are under active consideration” and that various high-level meetings have been convened with authorities concerned to address the issues in a time-bound and constructive manner.
In response, the ANATG held a general meeting on Friday and unanimously decided to put on hold the hunger strike but continue the sit-in unless a specific date for regularisation is announced.
“What we really want is to let the regularisation process go on but let there be a specific date announced at the earliest. It means until and unless that date is given to us, the general members gathered here will not disperse,” a core committee member told media persons.
He said that the hunger strike was put on hold after the letter was received at around 8.30 pm on Thursday.
At around 1.30-2 pm on Friday, one of the hunger strike volunteers developed health issues and was taken to Naga Hospital Authority Kohima for treatment. He is reportedly recovering.
The member also acknowledged the chief minister and the advisor for School Education for their comments that the regularisation process is underway, but said that the matter could have been resolved earlier without waiting for the ultimatum period to end on January 30.
He said that many members from across Nagaland had gathered in Kohima for the past nine days and it was difficult for the core committee to ask them to return without a concrete outcome.
He reiterated that unless something positive and satisfactory is announced, the members have consented to remain in Kohima “no matter how long.”
The principal director’s letter appreciated the role played by ad hoc teachers in sustaining school education across Nagaland but expressed concern that the agitation had led to prolonged closure of academic activities in several government schools, causing academic loss to students, particularly those preparing for HSLC and HSSLC examinations.
The department further informed that it had received communication dated February 11, 2026, from the department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms seeking submission of additional documents in respect of 235 (61 Group A and B, 174 Group C and D) ad hoc employees under School Education department for examination by the screening committee for regularisation of their services.
Accordingly, the department requested submission of the required documents and again urged the ANATG to resume normal teaching in the interest of students.
In response, the ANATG core committee requested the department to officially depute 10 ANATG members to assess and oversee the documentation of members already submitted for service regularisation.
The sit-in will continue on Monday outside the Directorate of School Education, Kohima.