Nagaland govt initiates steps to resolve RMSA 2016 teachers’ demands

Dimapur: The Nagaland government has initiated “concrete steps” to resolve the long-pending grievances of the RMSA 2016 batch teachers regarding their demands for pay parity with their counterparts, lack of job security, and the delay in mainstreaming them into the state cadre.

The government has set up a high-level committee and has also decided to constitute a sub-committee to study the demands.

An official notification on Wednesday said two successive meetings were convened this month by the school education department to address the impasse and work out a way forward.

The first meeting was held on September 18 under the chairmanship of the principal secretary to the chief minister & home commissioner Abhijit Sinha at the secretariat. Officials from the school education department, Samagra Shiksha, finance and justice & law departments, All Nagaland School Teachers Association (ANSTA), and representatives of the RMSA 2016 batch attended.

The meeting examined the background of the issue, including the non-implementation of the Gauhati High Court’s judgment on scale pay, and the constraints faced by the state government.

During the meeting, the RMSA representatives voiced concerns over the non-fulfillment of their demands.

Acknowledging the seriousness of the issue, the government proposed constituting a high-level committee with officials and stakeholders to study the demands and find workable solutions.

Following up on this, a second meeting was convened on September 23 by the commissioner & secretary, school education, Kevileno Angami.

In this meeting, the RMSA 2016 batch presented their charter of demands, which were accepted for study. It was decided that a high-level committee will be constituted, with representatives from the school education department, Samagra Shiksha, finance, and justice & law departments, along with members from ANSTA and the RMSA 2016 batch.

It was also decided that a sub-committee, headed by the school education department, comprising officials and representatives from ANSTA and RMSA 2016 would be formed. The sub-committee has been tasked to study the demands and prepare a preliminary report for submission to the high-level committee. The process is expected to be completed within six months.

Following these assurances, the RMSA 2016 representatives agreed to keep their agitation in abeyance while the government initiates the necessary procedures to resolve their demands.