Dimapur, April 23 (EMN): Teachers in Nagaland serving as part of the education programme, the Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA), have announced temporary suspension of their agitation.
The Nagaland RMSA Teachers' Association (NRMSATA) informed in a press release on Sunday stating that the Nagaland government has assured the teachers that their salaries would be released.
The NRMSATA stated to have taken the decision after a series of discussions between the “central body” and the Education authorities.
“The association has decided to temporarily call of the proposed III phase of agitation with effect from 22/4/2016 based on the assurances of the department. Therefore, the central forum has directed all its members to return to their respective schools and carry on with their duties,” the organisation stated.
The organisation listed a number of conditions on which the association said to have agreed to call off the agitation.
“The state government will make arrangement to make payment for two months’ salary from the state budget in the months of may2017,” the first condition which the organisation listed, said.
“In the meanwhile, if the fund after re-validation of the second instalment of 2016-2017 is received from the Ministry of Human Resource Development all pending salary will be released by the state government.”
Likewise, the association stated, the Nagaland government was stated to have assured that it “will release two months’ salary at the time from June 2017 from the state budget till the backlog of salary is cleared, if fund received from the government of India is not sufficient to clear all the pending salary.”
The department has also assured that it would take up the issue concerning “Service Regularization-2016” at the earliest, the teachers stated.
Further, “the concern (sic) department have assured to settle the matter amicably concerning the explanation call served to the president and general secretary of NRMSATA-2016,” the group stated.
‘With all the assured points the association has temporarily called off the agitation primarily for the welfare of the students and urge upon the state government to deliver justice to the teaching fraternity by paying the teachers’ salary on time so as to avoid agitation and protest in future.’
The press release was appended by the president of the group Renbemo L Patton and General Secretary Kezhothito Keyho.
Another section of the RMSA teachers, the “NRMSATA 2013”, issued a press release too offering additional details. The ‘NRMSATA 2013’ stated that the ‘decision was taken after the government intervened and invited the executives of NRMSATA on the 21st and 22nd April 2017 for a meeting for the settlement of salary issue and came to an arrangement to make payment of two months’ salary in the month of May.’
According to the teachers, the government has given a written assurance to release the salary of RMSA teachers two months at a time starting from the month of June from the state’s budget “till the backlog of salary is cleared.”
The teachers added that the salary of the RMSA teachers will be borne by the state government “if the money is not sanctioned by the GOI (MHRD) in time, so that non payment of salary will not be a hindrance anymore in the smooth functioning of the schools.” Teachers of the RMSA are requested to resume normal regular classes.
