Teachers may go on hunger strike to press demands, says Nagaland RMSA association

KOHIMA: The Nagaland RMSA Teachers Association (NRMSATA)-2016 batch on Friday said they are prepared to go to any extent, including a hunger strike, to press for their demands. Association spokesperson Renbemo L. Patton said the protest, which entered its fifth day, would intensify further until the government implements scale pay on a par with their 2013 counterparts.

Patton said the government is using a pending Supreme Court review petition as an excuse to delay resolving the issue, calling it "a clear tactic to sideline our legitimate demand." He added, "We will not call off this agitation unless our rightful demands are met. Several members have voluntarily expressed their readiness for a hunger strike to press for justice."

NRMSATA president Imlitemjen Imchen said government’s continued inaction has left the teachers frustrated. "It has been over seven years and seven months in litigation, and instead of resolving the matter amicably, the government continues to drag us to court," said Imchen.

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Unresolved issues causing extreme measures, claim teachers

Urging the authorities to provide a practical solution without further delay, he maintained that with the first week ending today, they would not sit on protest for Saturday and Sunday, but would resume it on Monday.

While maintaining that they are open to negotiations, the association insisted that the government should fulfill its responsibility to regularise the teachers in accordance with the Ministry of Human Rights Development and National Council of Teachers Education guidelines. The government’s assurance to process the implementation only after the review petition is resolved was deemed unsatisfactory by the teachers, he said.

With the unresolved issue pushing them to the brink of extreme measures, the association called upon the government to act promptly to prevent further escalation of the situation. Amidst the intense protest atmosphere, a high-level meeting convened by the Commissioner and Secretary of School Education, Kevileno Angami, along with Mission Director Samagra Shiksha Nagaland L.

Jamithung Lotha and other senior officials, to engage with representatives of the Nagaland RMSA-2016 Teachers Association in an attempt to find common ground failed on Thursday.