Teachers appeal to CM Rio, saying court-backed ‘Equal Pay for Equal Work’ judgment remains unimplemented despite years of litigation
The Nagaland RMSA Teachers Association (2016 Batch) has appealed to Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio to intervene in the long-pending implementation of a court-backed pay parity ruling, saying more than a decade of service and years of litigation have yet to bring resolution to their grievances.
In an open letter addressed to the Chief Minister, the association said RMSA graduate teachers recruited in 2016 under the erstwhile Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) have continued to serve on fixed pay despite performing the same duties and responsibilities as regular teachers.
The teachers stated that they were selected through a “transparent and competitive process” to serve in government high schools upgraded under the RMSA scheme and have since worked in urban, rural and remote areas across the state.
“For over ten years, we have served faithfully in urban, rural, and remote areas alike. We have carried out exactly the same duties as regular teachers — teaching, invigilating public examinations, evaluating answer scripts, mentoring students, managing school activities, and taking on every responsibility given to us by the Department and school authorities,” the association stated.
According to the teachers, the issue of pay parity led to a prolonged legal battle that lasted nearly eight years and eventually reached the Supreme Court of India.
The association said that in January 2026, the Supreme Court dismissed both the Special Leave Petition and the subsequent Review Petition, thereby upholding the judgment of the Gauhati High Court, Kohima Bench, which had affirmed the principle of “Equal Pay for Equal Work.”
“That verdict brought us immense relief and renewed our faith in the justice system. We truly believed our long struggle had finally ended and that the approved pay scale would soon be implemented,” the teachers stated.
However, they alleged that despite the conclusion of the legal proceedings, the court-directed pay scale remains unimplemented.
The association claimed that more than four years have elapsed since the High Court judgment delivered on March 16, 2022, and five months since the Supreme Court dismissed the review petition, yet no progress has been made despite repeated representations to the authorities.
The teachers said the continued delay has caused financial hardship and uncertainty, noting that many have spent the past decade supporting families and ageing parents while coping with rising living costs on unchanged remuneration.
In the letter, the association also argued that the RMSA teaching posts were never intended to be temporary positions, stating that they were created with the approval of the Cabinet, Finance Department and Personnel & Administrative Reforms Department to meet the academic requirements of upgraded government high schools.
“The schools are still there, the students are still there, and the need for qualified, committed teachers remains,” the association stated.
Highlighting their contribution to the education sector, the teachers said RMSA-upgraded schools have recorded improvements in academic and co-curricular performance over the years, with students achieving success at district, state and national levels.
The association also cited the recent regularisation of RMSA teachers in Arunachal Pradesh and similar developments in other states as examples of governments recognising the contributions of teachers recruited under national education schemes.
Appealing for intervention, the teachers urged the state government to implement the judgment and provide clarity regarding their service conditions.
“The last decade should be remembered not only for the years spent in litigation, but also for the day when the matter was finally resolved with wisdom, fairness, and statesmanship,” the association stated.
