Ad hoc teachers demand conduct of suitability test

In the event to the government failed to conduct the test, the teachers warned they would be compelled to take up any course of action in the form of protest and the department would be solely responsible if any untoward situation arose. The aggrieved teachers told Nagaland Post that the present ad hoc teachers were appointed against the vacant state sanctioned posts five to six years back with a fixed pay of Rs. 6700 for primary teachers and Rs. 8400 for graduate teachers. They said the government had assured to let them go through suitability test for the service regularization.

However, the teachers lamented that the department has not conducted the suitability test till date. They said that some of the teachers have crossed the upper age limit and some were nearing.

Questioning the state government for not applying the same yardstick to all the employees under the same category in the department, the ad hoc teachers said the present ad hoc vocational teachers like the knitting instructors, language, carpentry and drawing teachers were granted scale pay with all the service benefits unlike the main subject teachers PTs and GTs who were paid a mere fixe pay.

Further, the aggrieved teachers said they were given assurance that the suitability test would be conducted in November 2016. However, they alleged that the government repeatedly failed to conduct the test even as a committee has been already set up for the suitability test since last August.

The ad hoc teachers also claimed that the department, in a sudden move, had altered the cut off dates for regularization by nullifying the previous cabinet order. They alleged that the move was with an intention to “play delay tactic game” with the teachers on the pretext of including few incumbents under their group. Ad hoc teachers said this has hampered teachers who have already fulfilled the criteria and all the necessary verifications.