No Concrete Solution From Government Adhoc Teachers

The All Nagaland Adhoc Teachers Group- 2015 Batch comprises of Grade-III teachers such as GT, PT, AT, LT,DT, CI, KI and HT who have been appointed on Adhoc basis against the vacant state sanctioned post. The appointments were made under certain terms and conditions by the government, where the Adhoc Teachers were mandated to undergo Required professional training i.e D.Ed and B.Ed within two years, and were to be regularized after three years of continuous service by appearing Departmental Suitability Test. And as such the present ANATG -2015 Batch have fulfilled all the procedures and norms laid down by the Government including the verification and clearances from the esteemed P& AR Department. It may be mentioned that the present adhoc teachers were all appointed prior to the 31st December 2012 with a meager salary of fixed pay i.e Rs. 6700/- and Rs.8400/-. And as such even after the completion of three years of continuous service and obtaining of professional trainings, the government delayed the conduct of Departmental Suitability Test despite numerous official appeals to the department to do the needful.

The government after a prolonged ignorance, finally decides to conduct the departmental suitability Test through the Notification NO: DSE/ESTT/REG/01/13 ( pt-11) 1299, dated Kohima the 19th December 2016, where 912 Adhoc Teachers who have completed three years of service as on 31-03-2015 were to appear the departmental suitability test. In Compliances to the notification, the present adhoc teachers were to submit all the necessary documents. After the compilation of all the documents that took more than three months, the government again rectified the Cut-off Date i.e 31-03-2015 to 31-12-2015 just to delay our departmental suitability test. The ANATG-2015 Batch considering the grievances of other counterparts of the aggrieved teaching community, accepted the sudden alteration of the Cut-off Dates, and for which our suitability Test was delayed just for the compilation of the new additions into our batch. After another round of unjust delays made while compiling the new adhoc teachers to our group, the ANATG-2015 Batch appealed the department to conduct the suitability test at the earliest where the department came out with another Directives to submit the identification proof which was to be countersigned by the respective SDEO and DEO. The aggrieved teachers had to bear the unjust delays all over again just to fulfill the norms laid down in the appointment orders for the suitability test and submitted the identification proofs to the department with much toils.

The Government finally calls the aggrieved Adhoc teachers through Notification order NO: ED/ESTT/REG-1/2015, dated Kohima the 2nd may 2017 along with the press release through all local dailies on 2nd May 2017 where the suitability test was to be conducted on 20th – 23rd May 2017, and as per the notification, the verification and screening were also done on 22nd May 2017.

The ANATG-2015 Batch comprising 1166 grade-III Teachers after fulfilling all the laid down procedures appeals the department to regularize our service and for which a Memorandum NO: DSE/ESTT/RER/01/13 ( s/test/1003) , dated Kohima the 8th august 2017 was submitted to the Joint Secretary P& AR Department for our service regularization, subsequently a Memorandum containing 30 copies were sent to the Deputy Secretary, Cabinet Cell; Nagaland Kohima though letter NO: DSE/ESTT/REG/01/13 ( s/test)/1410 dated Kohima the 26th October 2017, and as such our aggrieved matter was placed at Cabinet Agenda NO-42, which was to be taken up on the Cabinet meeting on 11th November 2017 at 12 Noon in the Chief Minister’s office. But to our utter dismay, our Cabinet Agenda was deferred without any rhyme or logical reasons through OM No; CAB-2/2013 dated Kohima the 13th November 2017. The ANATG-2015 Batch was compelled to run pillar to pillar urging the government to review our matter through numerous official appeals and various representations but the cries to redress our genuine aggrieved matter was turned down owing to the ignorance from the government , the ANATG- 2015 Batch was compelled to serve an ultimatum to the department on 30th April 2018 demanding regularization without any further delays and decided to exercise our democratic act of resentment . The department despite our final appeal failed to deliver us justice and as per the resolution in the ultimatum, the ANATG-2015 Batch was left with no other option and started exercising our democratic act of resentment in the form of Phase-wise agitation i.e- Phase-I ( Pen down strike w.e.f 16-18 April 2018.) Phase-II ( Mass Casual Leave w.e.f June 4-6) Phase-III ( Boycotting of Classes , w.e.f 15-17 June 2018)

Despite our appeals to the Department in the form of three phase wise agitation, the government failed to redress our aggrieved matter by denying our legitimate service rights and benefits. The ANATG-2015 batch was therefore compelled to again continue our appeal through 4th Phase of agitation in the form of peaceful sit-in protest at the Directorate of School Education; Kohima w.e.f 18th June 2018. The department instead of redressing our prolonged aggrieved matter, served us an an Official Letter NO: DSE/ESTT/REG/01/13 (pt) dated Kohima the 19th May 2018 and letter NO : DSE/ESTT/REG/01/2013 (pt) 102, dated Kohima the 18th June 2018 where they stated that our Adhoc Service Cannot be regularized owing to the suspension of OFFICE MEMORANDUM Dated 04-08-2008 , enclosing a copy of official statement furnished by K. SEMA- Sr. Addnl. Advocate General, Nagaland through letter NO AG/ESTT-11/2018 dated Kohima the 17th May 2017 ,and warned us of disciplinary proceeding against us if we continue exercising our democratic act of resentment in demanding our service regularization.

The official statement of K. SEMA- Sr. Addnl. Advocate General, Nagaland through letter NO :AG/ESTT-11/2018 clearly states that The government cannot regularize us till the disposal of INTERIM ORDER NO: W.P.(c). NO- 145 (k) of 2017, OR till any ORDER is passed by the Court modifying the Interim order Favoring the ANATG-2015 Batch .

The 1166 members of the ANATG-2015 batch have gathered here at the state capital to register the grievances by agitating against the government . As teachers, such acts may not be what is expected from us, but this hardships and grievances due to the government’s generosity of the salary paid to us is not an issue which started yesterday or last year, but has been since the time when a Kilo of Rice was Rs. 25. Not a sting in our memory reminds us of being paid any Dearness Allowances even though our category of teachers performed the same duty as any of our counter-parts. Time and again we’ve been asked to suspend this ongoing agitation but the teachers who have gathered from across the state, expending the minimum possible amount cannot return back to our families empty handed. Staying here at the state capital for the past one week has drained all our monetary resources, here we do not state the amount we had to leave back with our families from our salaries, so that they do not die of hunger when we go back to our respective homes. It pains ourselves to see that our own fellow teachers with their infant babies and some sharing grieves with their unborn ones in their womb.

We are called nation builders but we are not even able to maintain our own homes. We are asked to nurture our students but we are left uncared. We are told to do our best, yet we are paid the least. For the past one week we have done what we believe could achieve our demands and yet we were only served with warning letters.

With the above facts and plights , the stand of the ANATG-2015 Batch till the 5th day of the 4th Phase agitation is that, Our suitability test was conducted prior to the filling of Writ Petition NO : W.P. © NO-145 (k)/ 2017 to the court, nor after the Interim Order dated 28-07-2017 was passed. The ANATG-2015 Batch is left with no other logical options but rather to appeal the Government to utilize the available alternative possible means to regularise our service through the Letter dated Kohima the 22nd and 23rd June 2018 , and basing on the Observation Letter from the All Nagaland School Teachers’ Association dated 21st of June 2018 which was tabled to the Government and the ANATG-2015 Batch.

Sd/-
Ruguotsolie, President,
ANATG- 2015 Batch;
Temsuchiba Aier, Convenor,
Agitation Core Committee,
ANATG-2015 Batch