Kohima, February 10 (MExN): The Nagaland government has detailed the prolonged process for regularising the services of the All Nagaland Adhoc Teachers Group of 2015 (ANATG-2015), comprising 1,166 persons appointed on contract or adhoc basis under the School Education Department between the late 1990s and 2012.
According to a DIPR report, to regularise their service, after document verification a Suitability Test was conducted by the government in May 2017 under then-existing Office Memorandums (OMs). It stipulated that on completion of three years of continuous service on contract/ad-hoc basis against sanctioned posts, on clearing the Suitability Test and on approval of Cabinet, “adhoc/contract service can be regularised.”
All 1166 candidates who cleared the test were recommended for regularisation, and a cabinet memo was submitted on October 26, 2017.
However, the process was halted by orders of the Gauhati High Court Kohima Bench, which in July 2017 restrained the state from regularising any contract appointment in terms of P&AR’s OM, Cabinet deferred the case for regularization of their service. A further court order in August 2018 directed the directed the “State Respondents not to regularize any person in terms of P&AR’s cited OMs.”
The School Education Department re-submitted a Cabinet Memo seeking direction of the Cabinet on the issue of 1166 adhoc/contract teachers.
Following this, the cabinet on August 29, 2018, decided that till the court matter is “fully resolved,” the adhoc teachers service cannot be regularized but the fixed salary of the adhoc Teachers be doubled. Later, in October 2018, scale pay based on the 6th Revision of Pay of 2010 was granted to them.
After a representation by ANATG in September 2021, the P&AR Department advised identifying irregularly appointed employees who had completed 10 years of continuous service as on April 10, 2006, for a one-time regularisation as per a Supreme Court judgment.
Following an agitation by ANATG from September 26 to October 7, 2022, the government constituted a High Powered Committee (HPC) headed by the Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister to resolve the issue. The HPC submitted its report in June 2023.
On February 9, 2024, the cabinet decided to adopt a policy for regularisation of contract or adhoc employees. Pursuant to this and a subsequent resolution by the 14th Nagaland Legislative Assembly on March 1, 2024, the P&AR Department issued a “one-time regularisation policy” on March 16, 2024, for employees appointed against sanctioned posts prior to June 6, 2016. A Screening Committee on Regularisation was constituted on June 6, 2024.
In accordance, the School Education Department has since forwarded details of 2,487 adhoc/contract employees to the Screening Committee, with discussions ongoing regarding “missing documents and other possible solutions.”
The ANATG submitted an ultimatum in December 2025 “for going on agitation if services were not regularised by January 30, 2026.” Subsequently, School Education Department invited the Core Members of ANATG for discussion on February 3, 2026. In the meeting Commissioner & Secretary, SE & SCERT apprised the members of the follow up action taken by the Government and with request to call off the proposed agitation.
On February 4, 2026, ANATG submitted a seven-point demand including immediate regularisation, members to be segregated and treated separately, arrears from the date of grant of scale i.e., October 3, 2018, count seniority from the date of appointment, regularisation of the members to be processed together, to assure posthumous regularisation of deceased members, and exempt members from appearing another Suitability Test.
On February 6, 2026, the Core Committee members of ANATG along with Departmental officials met Chairman, Screening Committee where the Chairman informed that screening of the documents of Department of School Education were in progress and explained the need for fulfilment of various conditions/procedures.
On February 6, 2026, to discuss the issue, the Chief Secretary, Nagaland (CS in-charge) invited the Core Committee members of ANATG, Chairman, Screening Committee, P & AR, School Education Department and Home Department. The ANATG members shared their grievances simultaneously the Departmental official highlighted status of the ongoing exercise on regularisation of service of the adhoc/contract employees under the Department of School Education.
The Chief Secretary explained the system of working of the Government, the procedures followed and informed that the Government is looking at all aspects and angles to address their issues and requested them to call off/suspend their agitation, it stated.
On February 9, 2026, the group informed the Principal Director of School Education of their intent to begin a hunger strike if no satisfactory response was received by the same evening. The Directorate requested them to hold off, for better consultation assuring them of taking up their issues at the earliest.
The government stated that all concerned stakeholder organisations are working together to resolve the issue, considering the School Education Department has the second-largest manpower strength in the state.
