Dimapur, January 27 (MExN): The government today broke silence on the Eastern Naga Students’ Federation’s (ENSF) boycott of the statewide recruitment drive for teachers, explaining the situation involved in the issue. The government has even asked the students’ organization to submit a detail list of teachers “who were transferred along with the posts out of these districts (the four districts in the eastern areas) in shortest possible time.”
The department of School Education issued a press release today concerning then recruitment of graduate teachers and undergraduate teachers under RMSA and SSA with reference to Tuensang, Mon, Kiphire and Longleng districts and the five demand placed by the ENSF to the government. The press release was issued through the Commissioner & Secretary to the Government of Nagaland, department of School Education & SCERT.
Referring to the issue of filling up vacancies arising within the four districts, the government reminded that only inhabitants of the respective districts have been appointed against resultant vacancies for the past few years.
“The practice of transfer along with post has been discontinued for quite sometime. The advertisement for recruitment of 2,806 primary teachers and graduate teachers under SSA/RMSA was made vide NO.ED/EXAM/2010-11 dated Kohima the 9th December, 2011. This is inclusive of 819 posts for the districts of Tuensang, Mon, Kiphire and Longleng,” the department said. “The total number of posts created under SSA/RMSA was specifically made on the basis of enrolment of the school covering all the eleven districts.”
On December 19, 2011, the press release said, the ENSF issued an open letter to the Chief Secretary, Government of Nagaland, that the advertisement issued by the department of Education on December 9, 2011 and its criteria “does not fulfill” the ENSF’s five point charter of demands.
“Ever since the ENSF had submitted their five point charter of demand in July 2011,” the government said, “at least four informal discussions were convened by Minister (SE) with the ENSF and officers of the department of School Education on the issue of recruitment of teachers and restoration of posts transferred out from the eastern Nagaland jurisdiction.”
The department of School Education had then requested the ENSF to submit the detail list of the incumbents who were transferred along with the posts out of these districts, the government said. On January 16, 2012, the ENSF submitted another representation to the chief secretary stating that unless the five demands are fulfilled, the ENSF would boycott the teacher’s recruitment.
The government stated – “Accordingly, on 17.01.2012 the Minister (SE) convened a meeting with ENSF and officers of the department of School Education and apprised of the action taken by the department on the five point charter of demand. He requested ENSF to allow its members to appear the teachers’ recruitment examination on 21.01.2012 so that the selected teachers should not lose their seniority. The Minister (SE) also made an appeal through fax message to the ENSF to call off the boycott on 26th January, 2012 Republic Day and reiterated that the assurance given earlier by him and the Chief Secretary would be fulfilled in the shortest possible time.”
The department has reminded that an extensive Survey of School Census on teachers, non teaching staff and pupils against each school, to assess the status of the schools in the state, is being conducted and expected to be completed by January 31, 2012. “The required information is yet to be received from 118 establishments of which 34 establishments are from the districts of Tuensang, Mon, Kiphire and Longleng. From the School Census Report 2011 compiled so far, there are 119 schools (40, 36, 31 and 12 schools) under the districts of Tuensang, Mon, Kiphire and Longleng respectively which are having single to three teachers only per school. 497 additional posts of teachers are being proposed under PAB SSA during 2012-13 for the four districts. Over and above this, the government of India has already approved and sanctioned 132 posts of teachers under SSA/RMSA for the four districts which are being processed for formal creation.”
The ENSF is asked to submit the list of incumbents who were transferred along with the posts out of the districts in shortest possible time. So that, the press release stated, “all the teacher posts that have been transferred out of eastern Nagaland areas with incumbents without corresponding without replacement would be restored, and this will be done in a phase manner and within the shortest possible time, after ascertaining the actual number of such posts transferred out in the past without corresponding replacement; or, if that is difficult to arrive at, then after ascertaining the actual position of shortage of teachers school-wise in the Eastern Nagaland areas”.
