School Education Department assures teachers of full implementation of Court verdict once Review Petition is decided
The School Education Department has issued a press release clarifying the engagement and pay structure of the RMSA Graduate Teachers of the 2016 batch.
According to the release, these teachers “were engaged as contractual teachers in 2016 under Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA), a Centrally Sponsored Scheme under the erstwhile Ministry of Human Resource Development, GOI.” The teachers were “recruited through an open recruitment process of advertisement and written examination conducted by the Nagaland Education Mission Society.” Upon selection, they “fully understanding the nature of engagement, accepted the terms and conditions supported by Affidavit acknowledging that their tenure was co-terminus with the scheme and the salary was subject to annual fund release of the Ministry, GOI.” They were engaged “against posts created for the CSS Scheme and not against substantive posts under the State Cadre of the Department of School Education” and were initially paid “a fixed salary of Rs 31,315/- PM.”
The release explained that in 2018, following the integration of RMSA, SSA and Teacher Education into Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan, the Government of India reduced salary support for Graduate Teachers to Rs 25,000/- PM, leading to a reduction in the RMSA 2016 teachers’ pay. “Aggrieved, the petitioners approached the Hon’ble Guwahati High Court, Kohima Bench challenging the reduction in pay and seeking direction for grant of scale pay,” the release stated. On May 20, 2020, the Court “quashed the OM on reduction of pay but did not agree to the grant of scale pay.”
Accordingly, the Nagaland Education Mission Society continued to pay the teachers Rs 31,315/- PM, partly funded by the Centre and the shortfall met by the State Government.
The release further noted that in 2022, the teachers filed another case seeking a pay band of Rs 9,300–34,800/- with GP Rs 4,200/- PM, and the Hon’ble Court on March 16, 2022 directed the Respondents to grant scale pay.
Since 2022-23, GOI changed the funding pattern, reducing support to Rs 18,750/- PM and adjusting the Centre-State ratio from 90:10 to 60:40, increasing the financial burden on the State.
In response, the State filed a Special Leave Petition in the Supreme Court, which upheld the Guwahati High Court order on May 20, 2025. The State later filed a Review Petition on August 14, 2025.
To resolve the issue, the Department said that meetings were held on September 2–3, 2025 with the aggrieved teachers, in the presence of the Adviser, School Education & SCERT, requesting them to resume classes. A joint meeting on September 11, 2025, chaired by the Commissioner & Secretary, School Education, included representatives of ANSTA and RMSA 2016 batch, where teachers were “apprised of the status and assured that once the Hon’ble Supreme Court passes its order in the Review Petition, the Government shall honour the Court’s Verdict” and requested them to resume duties.