The Nagaland Government Teachers’ Association (NGTA), representing the 2010 and 2013 batches of mainstreamed SSA and RMSA teachers, continued its ‘peaceful democratic protest’ at the Directorate of School Education, Kohima, on Monday, marking the third day of agitation at the directorate.
With no positive response from the government regarding their demand, the aggrieved teachers are scheduled to continue their “peaceful democratic protest” on Tuesday.
The association had earlier issued a seven-day ultimatum, conducted a two-day pen-down strike, and staged two days of peaceful protest at the Directorate of School Education, demanding inclusion of their salary component under the State’s Non-Development (Non-Plan) Expenditure head.
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On Tuesday, NGTA members are also likely to decide on a joint representation submitted to the state government by the Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) and the Eastern Nagaland Students Federation (ENSF). The representation was reportedly submitted by the two apex student bodies rejecting the “meeting minutes in its current form” regarding the placement of salaries of mainstreamed SSA and RMSA teachers. The meeting was held on February 26 and its minutes reflected the position of the state government.
As reported earlier, according to the minutes of the February 26 meeting, the Nagaland Government ruled out full placement of salaries under the Non-Plan head for mainstreamed teachers, stating that such a move would result in an additional annual burden of nearly Rs 80 crore on the state exchequer.
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The meeting minutes also conveyed that, as long as the Samagra Shiksha CSS continues and the central share of the salary is routed through it, the salary component of the mainstreamed teachers would not be fully placed under the Non-Plan head of the State Budget.
However, the lack of a definitive policy commitment regarding the post-Samagra Shiksha phase for the mainstreamed teachers appears to have further complicated the issue rather than resolved it.
