ATAN’s agitating factor
K Filip Sumi
Why is the Aggrieved Teachers’ Association Nagaland (ATAN) still continuing its agitation and the hunger strike volunteers more agitated even after the April 24, 2012 Cabinet decision to reappoint 1095 teachers?
The answer is clear and simple. The reappointment decision came with a condition which in all possibility could cancel their appointments although they have passed through the various Committees and the Cabinet approved their retention. How many times should the aggrieved party get clearance from successive Committees to obtain full and final clearance? This time again, the Cabinet has subjected the agitating teachers to obtain clearance from the State Vigilance Commission before full appointment could be given.
ATAN did not accept the April 24, 2012 Cabinet decision primarily because they have faced enough Committees which gave positive recommendations for them. They demand the implementation of March 21, 2011 cabinet approval. Secondly, ATAN could not comprehend the idea of the Cabinet referring them back to the State Vigilance Commission for obtaining clearance. The aggrieved teachers note that the incomplete task of SIT, the state’s highest investigating authority, was assigned to be completed or re-verify the teachers by some lower authorities or committees.
Generally, when any authority has not been able to efficiently carry out the task it is assigned, then the case is referred to some higher and more competent authority and not to any lower Committee. However, in this particular case, it was downgraded from SIT to High Powered Committee – Special Verification Committee – Departmental Committee etc.
The preliminary SIT report was finished on February 25, 2010 and submitted to the government the next day as per information from ATAN. Quoting the education minister, a local daily reported on April 25, 2012 that there had been no concluding remark in the Vigilance Commission report. But the SIT had already submitted its “final status” report to the state government on July 7, 2011 the news for which was published on July 27, 2011 in the local dailies. Should concluding remark, if any, not be included in the final report? ATAN asks how many times the SIT will submit final report.
The minister also said that clear clean chit has not been given to those found to be genuine. If so, then why that category of teachers declared genuine by SIT has started getting salary without the clean chit in possession?
ATAN has made a study of the two SIT reports - the preliminary report of February 25, 2010 and final report of July 7, 2011. Without any detailed explanation and publication, the numbers of teachers in different categories of teachers were either increased or decreased in the final report. For transparency in the SIT findings, the affected teachers demand to know from which categories the numbers were added or subtracted with detailed explanation. The detail prepared by aggrieved teachers could be seen in the chart.
From the above chart, it is understood that in the course of the preparation of the final SIT report 2011, the teachers were shifted from one category to another but the details and remarks were not made public except the numbers, for which the aggrieved teachers are demanding transparency. The chart also explains that there are only 975 non-salaried teachers now. Under the banner of ATAN there are 1072 members comprising of actual 975 members (non-salaried) who were placed under bogus category of SIT but approved for retention by Cabinet on March 21, 2011 after committee verifications and 97 members from different categories who registered with ATAN (975+97=1072).
(Anomalies in SIT report will appear in the next series of “ATAN’s agitating factor.”)
