Nagaland: RMSA teachers to shift protest to Secretariat

KOHIMA — The Nagaland RMSA Teachers’ Association-2016 has decided to shift its indefinite protest to the Secretariat in Kohima from Thursday as a way of “intensifying” the agitation.

The teachers, who have been staging a sit-in outside the Directorate of School Education since Monday, are demanding pay scale and due benefits.

Association spokesperson Renbemo L Patton told Eastern Mirror that despite three days of protest, there has been no positive response from the government. As a mark of escalation, the agitation will now move to the Secretariat from 9 am on Thursday, he said.

Patton also confirmed that the government had extended an invitation for a meeting at the Secretariat on Thursday at 11 am, but added that it came “without any precise information.”

Also read: Protesting RMSA-2016 teachers in Nagaland reject government’s appeal to call off stir

The principal director of School Education and the Nagaland Education Mission Society, Samagra Shiksha, have repeatedly appealed to the teachers to call off their agitation, citing that the matter is sub judice. However, the teachers have maintained that they will continue “until their demands are fulfilled.”

The indefinite strike entered its third day on Wednesday. A total of 367 teachers from 133 government schools across Nagaland are participating.

The association had earlier launched phase-wise agitation beginning August 25, which included a pen-down strike and total boycott of classes, before commencing the indefinite protest on Monday.