Protesters reject Nagaland Cabinet decision, vow to continue
Protesters reject Nagaland Cabinet decision, vow to continue agitation
The Combined Technical Association of Nagaland and the Nagaland NET Qualified Forum have rejected the Cabinet decision to shorten the review period regarding the absorption of assistant professors and librarians
Members of CTAN and NNQF addressing a press conference at
Kohima Press Club office on Monday. (EM Images)
KOHIMA — The Combined Technical Association of
Nagaland (CTAN) and the Nagaland NET Qualified Forum (NNQF) have rejected the
Cabinet decision to shorten the review period regarding the absorption of
assistant professors and librarians, opting to resume their agitation outside
the Directorate of Higher Education in Kohima starting Tuesday.
Addressing the media, CTAN-NNQF representatives stated that
their demands, previously assured by the Minister for Higher Education, remain
unmet. They also expressed a lack of trust in the committee established by the
government to review the matter.
“The political elite has fallen on deaf ears to the common
people's voice, so we will continue with the agitation," stated NNQF
member Videkhono, urging the common people and working class to join their
protests.
CTAN convener Meshenlo Kath confirmed that discussions with
the deputy chief minister and the parliamentary affairs minister failed to
yield a resolution, leading to the decision to restart the protest.
The specifics of the protest will be determined at a later
time. While acknowledging and thanking the Naga Students' Federation for their
stance against corruption, Kath clarified that no formal discussions have taken
place regarding a joint protest.
"Despite the four-day peaceful protest and assurance
from the minister concerned to revoke the order and dissolve the committee,
there has been no positive action from the government in revoking the said
orders. Therefore the protest will continue until the demands are met,"
the CTAN-NNQF declared in a joint statement.
Protesters plan to gather outside the Directorate of Higher
Education at 9 am to continue their peaceful demonstration.
The CTAN and the NNQF are demanding the immediate revocation
of order No. HTE/HE/13-3/2020 (Pt-1) 104 dated December 17th, 2024, which
permits the absorption of 147 assistant professors and librarians in government
colleges throughout Nagaland.
They are also demanding immediate requisition of all posts
filled on contract after June 6, 2016. The office memorandum dated June 6,
2016, imposes a ban on contractual appointees.
Furthermore, they are calling for the dissolution of the
committee formed by the Cabinet on April 21, tasked with reviewing the matter
of the 147 absorbed assistant professors and librarians.
The CTAN and the NNQF expressed a deep distrust of the
government's handling of the situation, with a member stating the committee's
constitution is an attempt to dissolve the issue and cover up "illegal
acts."
They added that it is a "modus operandi” of the
government to deviate from the core issue and that the involvement of
bureaucratic personnel will not lead to a desirable resolution.
"We have lost faith in the confidence of the
government," a member stated.
The groups clarified that their agitation is not directed
against the 147 assistant professors and librarians currently in contractual
positions but against the method of their appointment.
They emphasised the importance of these positions to ensure
the smooth continuation of the academic calendar and appealed for consideration
of the students' academic lives.
They stressed that their goal is not to disrupt education
but to rectify what they perceive as an unjust appointment process. The CTAN
and the NNQF have vowed to continue their fight until their demands are met.
