Kohima, February 26: The Nagaland Government Teachers’ Association (NGTA) of the 2010 and 2013 batches on Thursday launched a peaceful sit-in protest outside the Directorate of School Education in Kohima, demanding that their salary component be shifted to the State Non-Development Expenditure head.
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| Members of the Nagaland Government Teachers’ Association stage a peaceful sit-in outside the Directorate of School Education, Kohima, demanding salary shift to the state non-development fund. (Image: TNP) |
The agitation follows a two-day pen-down strike held on February 24 and 25 after the expiry of a seven-day ultimatum submitted to the Principal Director seeking resolution of their long-pending grievances.
Around 1,500 teachers from across Nagaland participated on the first day of the sit-in, while the association represents a total of 2,293 government teachers.
NGTA Dimapur district unit president Alemkala said the teachers, appointed in 2010 and 2013, were mainstreamed into the state education cadre in September 2022. However, their salary component continues to be funded under Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS) such as Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) and Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA).
She stated that the teachers have been regular appointees since their advertisement and appointment and have been fighting for over 13 years to be treated on par with other state cadre employees.
“Our salary component is still funded under CSS. We are demanding that it be shifted to the State Non-Development budget, like other state cadre employees,” she said.
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NGTA (2010 and 2013 batches) president Peihau said that the October 2018 Cabinet meeting had accepted the two batches “in principle” as part of the state education cadre. After fulfilling the required criteria by April 2022, they were formally inducted into the cadre.
“Now it is the responsibility of the government to honour the mainstreaming order by shifting our salary component to the non-development fund,” he asserted, adding that the association would continue its peaceful agitation until their demand is met.
The School Education Department has maintained that determining the budget head for salary disbursement is not within the prerogative of employees. However, the association insists that as state cadre employees, they deserve parity with others whose salaries are borne under the state’s non-development plan.
