NNQF responds to ANCSU on contract teachers’ issue

Dimapur, Dec. 1 (EMN): Responding to the threat of the All Nagaland College Students’ Union (ANCSU) to launch a protest pertaining to the unresolved issue of the contract teachers, the Nagaland NET Qualified Forum (NNQF) has pointed out some ambiguities in the former’s demand for solving the contract teachers issue under the Higher Education department.

“If by ‘solving the issue’ they meant regularisation of the contractual assistant professors, most of whom were not recruited through the Nagaland Public Service Commission -- common educational services examination, NPSC-CESE, then there is the absence of meritocracy in their demand,” NNQF said in a rejoinder.

According to NNQF, it created two problems: First, they misguided their own college student members all over Nagaland, as a parent body, by denoting that there is no place for meritocracy and also display disrespect to the institutions that conduct the recruitment process for open and fair competition to select the best educators for quality education in Nagaland. Secondly, it stated that their primary demand was in contradiction with their other demand for the non-continuation of the contractual teaching services in the higher education department.

“They have even stated that they “will not allow” such services from the next academic session except on exigency basis. What would be the guarantee that they will not support such contractual appointments in the future?” it questioned.

Stating that NNQF has been fighting for open and fair competition since 2018 and publicly expressed disappointment with the Higher Education minister’s speech in the 13^th Nagaland Legislative Assembly on the issue of regularising the 154 contractual assistant professors posts, it regretted that ANCSU continued its support for the contractual assistant professors and mentioned the speech to buttress their demand.

NNQF added that it has been pursuing a court case against those contractual appointments on the basis of their mode of recruitment. It alleged that those appointments violated the Office Memorandum dated 6th June, 2016, which bans contractual appointments.

It has referred to the judgement and order dated August 3, 2018, passed in the case filed by ACAUT and PSAN against the backdoor appointments, which stated that “any appointments made without advertisement and regularisation (of such posts) is not only unconstitutional but also null and void.”

It expressed disappointment that in the name of students’ welfare and well-being, certain questionable practices under the Higher Education department are not only getting support from such distinct organisations but also zealously being fought for.

NNQF further affirmed to continue its stand and discouraged the regularisation of contractual assistant professors under the Higher Education department.