Nagaland: ANATG-2015 hunger strike on hold; sit-in to continue till regularisation date announced

All Nagaland Ad-hoc Teachers’ Group (ANATG) 2015 batch on Friday announced that it was putting its indefinite hunger strike on hold following a recent communication from the department of school education (DoSE), but made it clear that the ongoing sit-in protest would be discontinued only after the government announces a specific date for service regularisation.
Speaking to media on the ninth day of the sit-in, a core committee member said the group received a letter at around 8:30 pm on February 12, delivered through the All Nagaland School Teachers’ Association and signed by the principal director, School Education.
He said the letter contained six points, including an assurance that the “legitimate demand of ANATG is under active consideration” and that high-level meetings were being held to address the issue in a time-bound and constructive manner.
He recalled that when the group gathered in Kohima for the third phase of agitation, it had declared this would be its final stand on regularisation. A general meeting was held on Friday at the directorate of school education to deliberate on the letter.
After consultation, the core committee and members unanimously resolved that the sit-in would be discontinued only upon announcement of a definite date for regularisation. The group clarified it was not opposing the ongoing process but insisted on a clear timeline and stated that members would not disperse from Kohima until such a date was declared.
On the hunger strike, he said the group had submitted a representation on February 6 but received no response, leading to the launch of an indefinite hunger strike on February 11. Following receipt of the letter on February 12 indicating progress, the strike was placed on hold and participants were administered water, fruit drinks and supplements from Thursday night.
He informed that between 1:30 pm and 2:00 pm on Friday, one volunteer developed gastric complications and was taken to Naga Hospital Authority Kohima (NHAK) for treatment and was reported to be recovering.
The member acknowledged recent public statements by chief minister Dr. Neiphiu Rio and advisor for school education Dr. Kekhrielhoulie Yhome, appreciating their assurances that ad-hoc teachers had not been forgotten and that regularisation was underway. However, he said the matter should not have been allowed to reach the “ultimate period” ending January 30.
He maintained that the group had always remained open to dialogue and earlier consultation could have prevented escalation. He noted the difficulty of asking members, who had travelled from all districts, to return home after eight or nine days of protest.
The group resolved to remain in Kohima until a positive and satisfactory outcome was achieved.
On attendance, he admitted a slight decline, with around 400 to 500 members currently present. He urged full participation on Monday and expressed confidence in renewed unity as seen during the 2018 and 2022 agitations.
Internal surveys revealed that about 53 members were handling Class 10, over 60 had children appearing for Class 10 board exams and around 40 had children appearing for Class 12 exams. Parents of board-exam candidates were present at the protest site.
The core committee directed teachers handling Class 10 to resume duties, take selfies as proof of attendance and submit them to the committee, which was complied with.
He reiterated the group’s faith in the state government and remained hopeful that their demands would be fulfilled.
He pointed out that unlike the 2018 and 2022 agitations—held at the directorate and secretariat respectively—the current protest had been shifted to three venues in nine days. The group held no grudge against the directorate, describing it as their “parent institution” and “last resort”, and noted that documents had been forwarded to the P&AR department and the education branch of the secretariat. Members were seeking permission from the district administration to continue the sit-in at the directorate on Monday.
In conclusion, he said the senior-most appointee of the 2015 batch had served over 30 years, while the junior-most was in the 14th year of service in 2026. He claimed the 2015 batch was the longest-serving ad-hoc batch compared to earlier batches regularised within seven to ten years, and appealed to the government to fulfil their demand at the earliest.
DoSE responds to ANATG letter
The Department of School Education (DoSE) issued an official response to a letter dated February 13, 2026, submitted by the ANATG 2015 batch to the commissioner & secretary, School Education & SCERT.
In a communication addressed to ANATG-2015 batch core committee convenor, the department stated that it had carefully examined the group’s propositions and provided point-wise replies.
On the proposal to depute 10 members from the batch to assist in documentation and record sorting, the department expressed appreciation and requested the names and details of the selected teachers for necessary action.
Regarding regularisation of service, the department affirmed that it was making all efforts to expedite formalities for ad-hoc and contract employees but emphasised that the process must strictly follow government procedures.
The department clarified that it would not be in a position to provide a specific date for regularisation.
The department noted that concerned agencies had already initiated the regularisation process and requested the ANATG-2015 batch to refrain from resuming the suspended hunger strike or resorting to any other form of protest. It expressed hope that abstaining from agitation would create a congenial atmosphere, enabling all stakeholders to carry out their duties and expedite the process.