Members of Nagaland RMSA Teachers’ Association 2016 during an ‘indefinite sit-in protest’ organised in Kohima on September 8, 2025. (Morung File Photo)
Dimapur, June 21 (MExN): The Nagaland RMSA Teachers Association (2016 Batch) has appealed to Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio to intervene and ensure the implementation of a court-directed pay scale for RMSA graduate teachers, stating that more than a decade of service and years of litigation have yet to yield tangible relief.
In an open letter addressed to the Chief Minister, the association stated that RMSA graduate teachers recruited in 2016 under the erstwhile Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) have continued to serve in Government High Schools across the State on fixed pay despite performing the same duties as regular teachers.
The teachers maintained that they were selected through a transparent and competitive process to meet the academic needs of Government High Schools upgraded under the RMSA scheme and have since carried out responsibilities including classroom teaching, invigilation of examinations, evaluation of answer scripts, mentoring of students, and management of school activities.
According to the association, the issue of pay parity led to a prolonged legal battle lasting nearly eight years.
It noted that the matter eventually reached the Supreme Court of India, which in January 2026 dismissed both the Special Leave Petition and the subsequent Review Petition, thereby upholding the judgment of the Gauhati High Court, Kohima Bench, affirming the principle of “Equal Pay for Equal Work.”
However, the association expressed concern that the court-directed pay scale remains unimplemented despite the passage of more than four years since the High Court judgment delivered on March 16, 2022, and five months since the dismissal of the Review Petition by the Supreme Court.
It said repeated representations to the authorities had not resulted in any significant progress.
The association further contended that the RMSA teaching posts were created with the approval of the State Cabinet, Finance Department, and Personnel & Administrative Reforms Department to address the permanent academic requirements of upgraded Government High Schools. It asserted that the schools continue to require qualified teachers and that the need for such posts remains unchanged.
Highlighting their contribution to the education sector, the teachers stated that RMSA-upgraded schools have recorded improvements in academic and co-curricular performance over the years, with students achieving success in academics, vocational education, science, arts, and cultural competitions at various levels.
The association also pointed to developments in neighbouring Arunachal Pradesh, where RMSA teachers serving under similar circumstances were reportedly regularised, and observed that several states and courts across the country have increasingly recognised the need to provide teachers recruited under national education schemes with greater service security and fairness.
Appealing for government intervention, the association urged the State Government to implement the court judgment and provide clarity regarding the service conditions of RMSA-2016 graduate teachers. It expressed hope that the issue would be resolved with “wisdom, fairness, and statesmanship” after years of uncertainty and litigation.
