With regard to the statement you had recently made regarding an effective ban on Sumi and Ao candidates for recruitment as primary teachers in Nagaland, the All Sümi Students’ Union (SKK) seeks clarification regarding the legal basis, if any, of your plan. The constitutional and legal method of appointing a candidate as a primary teacher is solely on the basis of their merit and not their affiliation to any tribe, community or faction. This has been the method employed in the recruitment process for primary teachers in the state this far. Therefore, as an elected representative in charge of leading the education department in the state, the reform you are planning is puzzling and unclear.
The question of linguistic access that you had mentioned in a later interview is also not framed logically. The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 does recommend the use of a student’s mother tongue as the language of instruction at the primary level. If the state of Nagaland plans to frame its education policy for the primary level according to this guideline, we would like you to make it clear to us and to the public of the state in general, whether the education department plans to change the primary level medium of instruction from English to various mother tongues all over Nagaland. And if it does plan to do so, does the department have the necessary level of preparedness in terms of the availability of teaching material, text books and reference books etc. in the particular language to facilitate instruction to all primary level students of Nagaland in their mother tongue? We need this point to be clarified immediately as there is no other logical basis for appointing teachers based on their tribal affiliation. We also need clarification regarding the exact date of implementation of the proposed rule and its duration of validity. Further, since you had mentioned that students in schools located in urban areas come from a mixed tribal and linguistic background, will the rule of non-recruitment of Sumi and Ao speakers apply for posts at such schools as well where the linguistic situation affords multiplicity and imposition of instruction in one local language only will be unfair?
The All Sümi Students’ Union (SKK), on behalf of the Sumi people and the public of Nagaland, demand a clear statement from you regarding the exact terms of the new recruitment rules your department has in mind. Without any legal basis, barring candidates solely due to their affiliation to a certain tribe is illegal. We shall be forced to take legal recourse against any such illegal measures taken by your department as proposed in the future.
Gihuka K Zhimo
President, SKK
Toshika K Kiba
General Secretary, SKK
