Nagaland: ANATG-2015 stir intensifies; demands immediate regularisation of service

The protest called by All Nagaland Ad-hoc Teachers Group 2015 batch (ANATG-2015) entered its third day on Friday as the teachers continued to press for immediate service regularisation.
The protestors, who had been staging a sit-in at NSF Solidarity Park since February 4, marched to the Secretariat junction holding placards and raising slogans demanding regularisation.
Tension escalated when protestors attempted to enter the Secretariat premises but were prevented by security personnel deployed at the site. While there was no official confirmation of injuries, unconfirmed reports suggested that some protestors may have sustained injuries during the scuffle.
The situation was brought under control by senior members of ANTAG. Later, the members were allowed to submit their memorandum.
In a representation submitted to chief secretary, through the commissioner and secretary, School Education and SCERT, and the member secretary of HPC Agreement 2022, ANATG-2015 demanded immediate service regularisation of 1,166 teachers in accordance with the HPC Agreement signed on October 7, 2022.
The representation stated that ANATG would suspend its democratic protest depending on the nature and feasibility of the written response from the department, which the group said it expected at the earliest.
Later on Friday evening, a meeting was called at the chief secretary’s office during which the protestors submitted their letter.
The group members informed that since the CS could not give any assurance in black and white except verbal assurance, the group expressed dissatisfaction.
Therefore, the group members will have a sitting on Saturday and decide on its next course of action to be taken in the coming days.
Earlier, addressing the media on behalf of the protestors, Lhovito Sheqi, GT Zunheboto, stated that the group comprises ad-hoc teachers who became eligible for regularisation in 2015, with the junior-most appointees having been appointed in December 2012.
Sheqi stated that the group began its peaceful sit-in protest on February 4 at NSF Solidarity Park, during which members held internal discussions and a general meeting. He said that within the following two days, on February 4 and 5, two rounds of talks were held with the department. However, during the second meeting, the group was advised to meet the chairperson of the screening committee for regularisation.
He said ANATG had expected a positive outcome from the meeting but the discussions did not yield any concrete result. Following deliberations among joint members, the group resolved to intensify its agitation through a peaceful and silent procession from NSF Solidarity Park to the Secretariat junction.
Sheqi described the situation as unfortunate, stating that an “ugly incident” occurred during the march, attributing it to the frustration of general members who, he said, have been denied regularisation for a minimum of 14 to 15 years.
Recalling the history of the issue, Sheqi stated that ANATG-2015 had first staged a peaceful agitation in 2018, followed by another protest in 2022, after their demands remained unresolved. He pointed out that in 2022, a High Powered Committee (HPC) agreement was signed between the State government and ANATG-2015, which clearly stated that the government would regularise the services of the group within a stipulated timeframe.
According to the agreement, an HPC headed by principal secretary or commissioner secretary was to be constituted within 15 days, submit its recommendation by June 2023, and resolve the issue of regularisation by December 2023. However, Sheqi stated that despite waiting through 2023, 2024, and 2025, no positive response was received.
He said the teachers were compelled to return to the streets despite their reluctance, stating that they were forced to do so due to what he described as the government’s adamant stance. He asserted that the demand for regularisation was a legitimate right of the teachers.
Sheqi further stated that on Friday morning, the protestors had intended to sit peacefully at the Secretariat junction while the core committee submitted a representation to the government. However, he said that prior to submission of the letter, the situation escalated and the group was denied entry into the Secretariat even for the purpose of submitting the memorandum.
He stated that the core committee members were engaged in efforts to submit the letter and could not clearly recall the exact sequence of events that led to the incident, reiterating that it occurred due to mounting frustration among general members. He added that the group remained open to dialogue if the government was willing to address their demands.
Responding to queries on the reasons behind the prolonged delay, Sheqi stated that there had been a persistent “blame game” since the inception of the issue. He said that the teachers had appeared for suitability tests as per government norms and that their documents had been verified by the department.
He stated that following the suitability tests conducted in 2017, graduate teachers were initially paid Rs.8,700 while primary teachers received Rs.6,000. After the 2018 protest, based on the suitability test results, the government granted scale pay. He added that the government later acknowledged that the Office Memorandum (OM) issued in 2024 was a result of the HPC process, from which several other departments benefitted through regularisation of ad-hoc employees.
However, Sheqi stated that ad-hoc teachers under ANATG-2015 remained excluded from the benefits of the OM. He said that while the department had informed the group that all required documents had been verified and forwarded to the Personnel and Administrative Reforms (PNR) department, additional documents were later sought, despite assurances that all necessary paperwork had already been submitted.
He stated that the lack of clarity and shifting responsibility between departments had contributed to the continued delay. Sheqi asserted that the ANATG-2015 would continue its agitation until their demands were met.