Ad-hoc government teachers agitating in Nagaland have started an indefinite hunger strike after the state government did not get any positive response to their demand for immediate regularization of services. The strike was started by the All Nagaland Adhoc Teachers Group (ANATG)-2015 batch on Thursday, the fourth day of peaceful protest outside the state civil secretariat.
Ad-hoc government teachers in Nagaland have started an indefinite hunger strike with no positive response from the state government to their demand for immediate service regularization. According to PTI, the strike comes four days after peaceful protests outside the state civil secretariat started by the All Nagaland Adhoc Teachers Group (ANATG)-2015 batch.
ANATG spokesperson Bendangtamsu Ozukum told reporters that since Monday, 1166 members took part in the protest but there was no positive response from the state government or the school education department on their demand. He said, “We have protested patiently and peacefully for four days, but with no sign of positive response from the government, the emergency general meeting of the ANATG-2015 batch decided to change the mode of agitation to a hunger strike, ” They said. Henceforth, ANATG will not accept any negotiations but continue the agitation till our demand for service regularisation is met,” Ozukum said.
Ozukum said that there are around 73 volunteers who have come forward for the hunger strike while others will continue with the peaceful sit-in.
All Nagaland School Teachers Association (ANSTA) had contacted the Commissioner and Secretary of School Education on Thursday, but to no avail. The Principal Director, Directorate of School Education, Thavasilan K had on Tuesday said that the members of the ANATG-2015 batch were not illegally appointed but were appointed irregularly without following proper norms on the sanctioned posts.
It is not that the department does not want to help the protesting teachers but the department and the government are constrained because of the standing order of the Supreme Court and High Court not to regularise any adhoc appointees.
The department has also suggested the adhoc teachers to move the court to vacate the order, without which it would be not be possible to regularise their service. ANATG has on the other hand claimed that despite the courts’ orders other government departments have regularised the services of their adhoc appointees.
