Principal Correspondent
Kohima, March 2
Three associations comprising of employees from the School Education Department, Nagaland today launched its week-long agitation in the form of “total cease work’.
The agitation, which will go on till March 7, was planned due to the Nagaland state government’s failure to address the genuine grievances of the associations as assured several times earlier.
The three groups in the agitation include the Nagaland School Education Administrative Officers Association (NSEAOA), Nagaland Secondary School Field Officers Forum (NSSFOF) and All Nagaland School Teachers Association (ANSTA).
Leaders of the three organisations said unlike other departments, ex-cadre officers are given ample opportunity in School Education Department.It said that recently an engineer by profession of 1990 recruit was promoted to Additional Director post against Cadre post for which the Cadre officers/employees are asking Government to revoke the order or make personal to him and vacate the post. Cadre officers of 1983/84 batch are still in Headmaster rank. Where is justice for the Cadre officers in this Department?
They maintained that the department is so stagnant in matter of promotion for which we blame no one. However inspite of many vacancies causing out of Retirement Act, Cadre Officers are not given promotion in time and many are retiring with a crying heart without getting what promotion/status they deserve.
There is structural anomaly in promotional management to the posts of Joint Directors for which upgradation at SDEO level to the rank of Deputy Director followed by Headmaster and Assistant Headmaster levels need to be upgraded, they said.
Expressing that the Government has awarded separate director for the management of 41 Higher Secondary Schools in Nagaland, the three organisations lamented that it is not willing to award two Directors for 252 High Schools, 961 Middle Schools and 2045 Primary Schools to be designated as Secondary and Elementary Secondary Directors.
“Where is Justice,” they questioned while maintaining that in a democracy, majority is always taken into consideration and gets upper hand over others.
The three bodies further expressed that the Secondary and Higher Secondary are two different boats sailing in the same river with different responsibilities, but each of which has different academic sessions - one with college pattern and the other with schooling pattern.
“Since our cadre promotion and entry points are different, clubbing them together under one head of Institution is irrelevant and problematic with academic interest, hence should be totally separated,” they demanded.
Recalling that the two entities had earlier demanded total bifurcation, they said therefore principals willing to control secondary section is contradictory to their demand for bifurcation submitted earlier.
Hence, be it Higher Secondary schools or DEO Office, one should look after one’s own chapter exclusively which in turn will also get rid of confusion and unnecessary clashes in the functional arena,, they said.
Meanwhile, the three bodies while reiterating to go on with their agitation till March 7, they expressed that “Secondary/Elementary is only demanding for its own territory”.
Leaders of three bodies also said that during the period employees are not to attend to their assigned works/duties by remain at in their respective station.
