Teachers Protesting for Dues, Students Learning-Deprived, Government Comatose

Tragedy has truly struck! Thousands of students have been deprived of learning for more than 10 days for the simple reason that many of their teachers are on the streets protesting. But, do we really care for the welfare of students, or for that matter, the educators? Education in Nagaland has always been accorded low-priority, though some in the government will vehemently counter this.

The RMSA 2016 teachers have been begging the government for their dues, but to no avail. They were thus forced to seek relief from the Court. The Hon’ble High Court saw no merit in the State Government’s arguments. The ruling of the Hon’ble Supreme Court too was in favour of the teachers. Unfortunately, the State Government has now again filed a Review Petition in the Supreme Court. As far as we citizens know, the Supreme Court has not yet taken up this petition, but someone in the Government tried to intimidate the teachers by stating the matter is subjudice.

Some documents emerging from the secret locker, have been published a couple of days back in our Daily papers. The Cabinet Memorandum of 21st June 2018 (No. EDS/SSA-CPA/009-2008, Vol-I), Cabinet Corrigendum No. CAB-2/2013 of 5th October 2015, and Department of School Education No. DSE/RMSA Upgradation/2011 of 28th October 2015, which led to approval being accorded by the Finance Department, P&AR, Department of School Education, and State Cabinet itself, are damning evidence of delay tactics by the government.

We have neglected education for too long in Nagaland. The teachers are protesting, but who cares! One hears of the state not being in a position to pay the protesting teachers their dues, so the delay tactics. If this is true, it is most unfortunate. Ours is a beggar state that is totally dependent on the GoI for survival. But most of the Indian Tax-Payers money that has poured into Nagaland over the past years, amounting to many tens of thousands of crores of rupees, has been swept clean off the intended mark. So, Education (pre-primary to college) and health have been relegated to the backseat. Jobs are almost non-existent. We are overstaffed in most government departments, except Education and Health. Our children cannot compete with others because our brand of education is way off the mark. The least we can do is to provide our students good education by giving them good facilities and teachers.

Dear Government, please do the right thing. Give priority to Education! Don’t destroy student’s careers. Give the teachers what you owe them instead of praising them to the skies on the 5th of September every year. Give them their overdue dues even if it means begging or borrowing.

G.T. Thong