Hello! Respected Sirs and Madams, our school teachers are crying but without tears; working but without pay; sweating but without pay. Most of them are living under the mercies of their friends and families borrowing. And some even to the extent of facing confrontations.
At this disparate juncture, may I catch the attention of stakeholders who hold great responsibility in shaping and moulding the education and it's system of our state, SMDC at the school level, SDEO at the sub-division level, DEO at district level, NBSE at the state level, SSA and RMSA as an agency and School Education at the state level to feel us. Throughout the year, we teachers alone with different stakeholders at different levels worked together tirelessly to educate the young minds to fulfil the state's education policy. However, unknowingly 435 teachers RMSA 2016 batch were continuously working with empty pockets for 7 months altogether. Can anyone hear our cry? Why do we have to carry this undue burden for several months when we worked dutifully! It’s more than half a year salary. How can we thrive under such condition? Our monthly salary! It seems to have started instalment pay mode ( half-yearly).
When are we getting paid?? Year's academic syllabii are completed and promotion exams are very soon to be conducted. We are not paid yet ironically we provided question papers to conduct board exams. Oh! Lord, like a candle we are being consumed continuously by our daily activities unnoticed. We are like a pet dog waning when left unfed for a long time. Our pockets are without coins. We go hungry to work place. Do we have to work and not get our salary anymore? We have received 6 months salary after our legal recourse since 19 September, 2018 but from March 2019 till October 2019 we have so far not received any even on duty. So we often asked ourselves, can we starve and work? I hope not.
Yes, indeed, we have committed to give our best in our work. Yet, we can only survive by the pay we get.
Today, particularly, RMSA 2016 batch who cleared open competitive examination both written and oral and are appointed as Graduate Teachers are compelled to loan at high interests from another source in order to comply to whatever is expected of a teacher besides looking into the least personal needs and fulfilling the needs of the family. All these instances makes us cover our faces with shame and hide our identity as well. Now, we have to console ourselves, our parents, our friends and some even to their children confiding that we are not in a good shape or stage of life. Praying that the remorse and silent cries of 435 teachers, RMSA 2016 batch will eventually be heard by God's grace.
This group of teachers, are catering around 100 Government High Schools in Nagaland teaching standard 9 and 10 students. The performances of these Government High Schools for HSLC examinations largely rests on this group of teachers. May the concerned authority protect, support and uplift this group of teachers at the right time for the benefit of the schools and students at large.
