For more than a decade, we have walked into Government school classrooms with one responsibility— to teach, guide and help shape the future of our children.
Many of us joined the teaching service as SSA/Ad-hoc Primary/Graduate Teachers in 2014, 2015 and 2016, with others joining at different points thereafter.” Since then, the classroom has become an important part of our lives. Year after year, we have continued to teach, fulfil school responsibilities and serve wherever we were posted.
More than ten years have now passed for many of us.
Yet one question continues to remain:
After years of dedicated service, what does the future hold for teachers like us?
A DECADE OF SERVICE
When we entered the teaching profession, we never imagined that after more than ten years many of us would still be serving under a fixed-pay arrangement.
For those receiving Rs.20,080 per month P.T & 27,800 per month G.T, this amount is not merely a figure on a pay statement. Behind it are teachers, families, daily responsibilities and more than ten years of service to the education system.
The cost of living has changed. Responsibilities have increased. Yet our employment conditions continue to leave many of us uncertain about our future.
For us, this is not only a question of salary.
It is a question of dignity, recognition, stability and the value of experience gained through years in the classroom.
WE HAVE CONTINUED TO SERVE
SSA/Ad-hoc teachers have continued to work in Government schools across Nagaland.
We have taught children from different communities and backgrounds. We have prepared lessons, conducted examinations, participated in school programmes and undertaken the responsibilities entrusted to us.
We have continued because we believe in education and because we believe that our work matters.
Our years of service have given us something that cannot simply be measured in numbers— experience, commitment and an understanding of the children and communities we serve.
THE RIGHT TEACHER IN THE RIGHT LANGUAGE ENVIRONMENT
There is another issue that deserves serious attention: the posting and transfer of Primary Teachers in relation to the language of instruction and the linguistic needs of the children.
At the primary level, language plays an important role in a child’s ability to understand, communicate and participate in learning.
Wherever administratively and legally feasible, Primary Teachers should therefore be considered for posting to schools where their language proficiency corresponds with the recognised medium of instruction and linguistic needs of the students.
A teacher who can communicate effectively in a language familiar to the children can help create a stronger learning environment and improve communication between students, teachers, parents and the wider community.
This is not simply a matter of transfer or convenience.
It is a matter of effective teaching and better learning.
We therefore appeal to the authorities to consider a transparent and fair language-sensitive posting and transfer policy for Primary Teachers, taking into account teacher qualifications, language proficiency, experience, school requirements and the overall administrative needs of the department.
THE PAIN OF BEING LEFT BEHIND
What is difficult for many of us is not only the fixed remuneration.
It is the uncertainty that remains after years of service.
A teacher who has spent ten years in the classroom has acquired experience that comes only with time.
We have watched children grow, faced the everyday challenges of teaching and continued to serve through changing circumstances.
We are not asking for our years of service to replace the law or established recruitment procedures.
We are asking that our experience and contribution be acknowledged and considered within a lawful and sustainable framework.
AN APPEAL TO THE GOVERNMENT
We understand that Government decisions must comply with constitutional provisions, recruitment rules, financial procedures and other applicable laws.
Our appeal is therefore not for a solution outside the law.
Our appeal is for the Government to seriously examine the long-standing situation of SSA/Ad-hoc teachers and explore every legally and administratively viable avenue for a fair and sustainable resolution.
We also appeal for greater consideration of language-appropriate postings for Primary Teachers, so that teachers can be placed where their linguistic abilities best serve the educational needs of children.
We want to continue serving.
We want our experience to be valued.
We want our service to have dignity.
And we want a future in which teachers can enter their classrooms with confidence rather than uncertainty.
A COLLECTIVE APPEAL
We speak not only for ourselves, but for teachers who have spent years standing in classrooms while carrying questions about their own future.
We have taught the children of Nagaland.
We have contributed to their education.
We have helped prepare them for their future.
Now we respectfully ask:
Who will stand for the future of the teachers who have spent years building the future of others?
We are still here.
We are still teaching.
We are still serving.
We simply ask that after years of service, we should not be left behind.
NTA-SSA
Saturday, September 5, 2026