Something is brewing in SCERT Nagaland: ACAUT

EMN DIMAPUR, AUGUST 20 The depth of corruption within the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) Nagaland, whose integrity – according to ACAUT – ought to have been above reproach, appears to be bottomless even as more skeletons continue to tumble out of its closet. The Against Corruption and Unabated Taxation movement on Thursday issued a press release stating that there is a strong reason to believe that something is brewing in SCERT department. “As per the NPSC clarification in the local media on the 20th of August, the ACAUT Nagaland can strongly surmise that the SCERT department asking the NPSC on two occasions, once, to reduce the qualification marks from 55% to 45% and the second time, requesting the Commission in 2011 to withdraw the examination for the posts of 14 Lecturers, Class 1 Gazetted, after it had requisitioned the posts to the NPSC in 2007 would only mean one thing: to squeeze in candidates of vested top bureaucrats and politicians through backdoor. “As the NPSC has asserted, it went ahead with the conduct of examination in 2012. However, not surprisingly, as the ACAUT has recently come to know – thanks to whistleblowers – the SCERT department once again concealed a whopping 25 posts of Lecturers/Assistant Professors and the appointees from the NPSC, all appointed on contract in-between 2007-10. Later on, the Cabinet regularized the appointments on 22nd May 2015,” the statement read. The ACAUT stated that not only were the posts hidden from the NPSC, but all the 25 Lecturers/Asst. Professors were ‘regularized’ following an internal ‘Suitability Test’, thereby violating both P & AR Department and NPSC notifications that these posts falls under the mandate of NPSC open competitive examination. The 25 Lecturers/Asst. Professors were again given top preference when the Cabinet notified that except for their Point of Entry into Service, all pensions, gratuity, increments and other benefits shall be counted from the date of their initial appointment as contract appointees and not from the date of Cabinet decision which is 22thMay 2015, it revealed. “This regularization notification, though unfair and illegal, means any other appointees – apart from the 25 regularized ones – who were also appointed on ad hoc during the same period, that is, between 2007 and 2010, but not considered for ‘regularization’ by the Cabinet but nevertheless selected for the same post by the NPSC in its exam conducted in 2012 had the disadvantage of starting their service as juniors in terms of benefits and allowances since their date of entry into service would be recorded from the date of their selection, that is, 2012. “Consequently, their regularized colleagues from the same previous batch, 2007-10, who did not appear for the NPSC examination but whose appointments were regularized by the Cabinet on 22nd May 2015 with backdated service benefits with effect from their date of joining the department as contract employees would enjoy an advantage of at least 5-8 years of service perks over their NPSC selected colleagues,” it stated. The ACAUT said that this “brazen” Cabinet notification means that something is amiss. “For instance, backdating any service benefits by 8 years may affect the seniority lists later on. For now the Cabinet may have toyed with service benefits and allowances but theoretically speaking, there is no stopping the Cabinet or any future Cabinet from fudging with the seniority list of the same 25 Lecturers/Assistant Professors for added advantage later on. “Therefore, backdating service benefits by 5-8 years may be a well thought out plan by powerful interest groups. The ACAUT Nagaland considers this as top-notch conspiracy,” it stated. “Since a precedence has been set in this premier department whose integrity should have been above reproach, the possibility of SCERT further regularizing the 3 posts of Research Assistants (Class 1), 6 posts of Training-cum- Research Assistants (Class II Gazetted), 19 posts of Lecturers (Class I Gazetted), and 8 posts of W.E Teachers/Technicians/Statistician( Class II Gazetted), for a total of 36 (thirty- six) appointments all through ‘Direct Recruitment’ in the year 2014 cannot be ruled out in future,” it further warned. Finally, the Public Information Officer of SCERT should explain why this particular Cabinet notification on regularization was not furnished to the ACAUT Nagaland, it demanded. “The PIO should know that the ACAUT had filed an RTI with the department on 26th June, 2015 whereas the Cabinet regularized the 25 posts on 22nd May 2015 and the notification brought out on the 1st of June 2015 by the Commissioner and Secretary, SCERT.”   NSF warns govt on backdoor appointments The Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) has warned the state government on backdoor appointments while stating that it would not tolerate the “misuse of power by some individuals for their vested interest overlooking all merits.” In a press statement issued today, the NSF claimed that it has tirelessly worked against any form of corruptions and social vice since inception. “While cleansing the menace of backdoor appointment in its entirety, the Federation is working out for a holistic approach in framing out its modalities. “All the concern departments should conduct the examination according to the norms whereby giving the opportunity to all the eligible candidates a free and fair recruitment. The Federation strongly demands for requisition of all post that comes under the preview of NPSC,” it stated. Failing to cancel all backdoor appointments may compel the Federation to take up strong action against the departments concerned, it added.