Our Correspondent
Kohima, Sep. 2 (EMN): Stating there to be no ‘positive response’ from the authorities, the 2016-batch Nagaland Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan Teachers’ Association (NRMSATA) has decided to intensify its agitation by taking to a peaceful sit-in protest outside the directorate of School Education (SE), in Kohima starting on September 4.
The NRMSATA-2016 has been boycotting class since August 27 to protest what it termed the “humiliating office memorandum” directing teachers to either accept a reduced payment by INR 6315 within a month or face termination.
“The government has till date shown no interest in addressing the issue of this manipulative document which is nothing short of imposed slavery and severe discrimination,” the association stated.
Talking to Eastern Mirror, NRMSATA’s President Sao Venuh said a meeting with the mission director, SE’s director and others on September 1 had discussed at length the problems faced by the department as well the grievances of the association.
Although both the parties arrived at a mutual understanding, Venuh said that the ‘actual outcome of the meeting was not satisfactory as nothing concrete came out of the meeting.’ He said that the teachers were compelled to intensify its agitation having been left with no option.
Giving a highlight of the issue through a press release, the association stated that “the issue of reduction in salary arose when the ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), govt. of India began implementing the new scheme called the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan which is a merger of erstwhile Sarva Shikhsha Abhiyan(SSA) and Rashtriya Madhyamik Shikhsa Abhiyan (RMSA) in the state.”
This merged scheme’s (Samagra Shiksha Scheme) document, it stated, does not in any way distinguish the SSA and RMSA teachers. The salary structure of the program is thus based strictly on different sections of the school they are teaching: up to INR 15,000 for primary teachers; up to INR 20,000 for upper primary teachers; and up to INR 25,000 for secondary teachers.
Based on the stated amount of INR 25,000, the association’s President Venuh and General Secretary Haisoliabe Ndang said that the office memorandum served to the RMSA teachers was not only ‘discriminatory.’ It is also ‘irrational and invalid’ as it is ‘adduced using only those cherry picked contexts of the scheme which are of their advantage to make it resemble as though it were the whole truth thereby befooling the employees.’
“Further, attempted use of psychological intimidation of termination invoking the basis of engagement order is highly atrocious and misleading” the release added.
