RMSA teachers’ stir enters 11th day

The agitation launched by the 2016 batch of RMSA teachers in Naga-land demanding scale pay and regularisation of service entered its eleventh day on Monday.
The protest, which initially began on September 1, involves 367 teachers from 133 government schools across the state. This is the second phase of their agitation.
The protesting teachers, camping outside the State Civil Secretariat, have been holding placards and banners, and shouting slogans demanding early justice.
They are demanding scale pay, regularisation, and induction into the state cadre, a benefit al-ready granted to their counterparts of the 2010 and 2013 batches.
The first phase was a pen-down strike from August 25, during which the teachers criticised the government for not implementing the high court’s 2022 order, which was subsequently upheld by the Supreme Court in May this year.
The government has repeatedly appealed to the agitating teachers to exercise patience, pointing out that the matter is sub judice with a review petition currently pending in court.
As part of efforts to break the deadlock, the Department of School Education also proposed constituting a committee that would include representatives of the Nagaland RMSA Teachers Association (NRMSATA)-2016 to examine their demands.
However, the proposal was rejected by the teachers.
On Friday, Advisor for School Education and SCERT, Kekhrielhoulie Yhome, personally visited the protest site in Kohima in an attempt to convince the teachers to return to their classrooms.
While acknowledging their grievances, he reiterated the government’s appeal for patience until the legal process is complete. The teachers, however, refused to call off their agitation.
Association spokesperson Renbemo L Patton said the teachers would continue their strike until their demands for pay parity and service regularization are fulfilled, leaving the impasse unre-solved as the agitation moves into its third week.