Failing to get any positive response from the authorities concerned, the 2016 batch of Nagaland Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan Teachers’ Association (NRMSATA) have decided to intensify their agitation by staging peaceful sit-in protest outside the directorate of school education in Kohima from Tuesday.
The RMSA teachers of the 2016 batch have been boycotting classes since August 27 to protest against an office memorandum issued by the state government directing them to either accept a reduced payment by Rs 6315 within a month or face termination. The association termed the office memorandum as “humiliating”
“The government has till date shown no interest in addressing the issue of this manipulative document which is nothing short of imposed slavery and severe discrimination,” the association stated.
According to reports, the association, RMSA mission director and school education director at a meeting in Kohima on Saturday discussed at length the problems being faced by the department as well the grievances of the association.
President of the association Sao Venuh said the teachers were compelled to intensify their agitation as the “actual outcome” of the meeting was not satisfactory and nothing concrete emerged.
The association in a release said the issue of reduction in salary arose when the ministry of human resource development began implementing the new scheme called the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan which is a merger of erstwhile Sarva Shikhsha Abhiyan (SSA) and Rashtriya Madhyamik Shikhsa Abhiyan (RMSA) in the state.
It said the merger scheme document does not in any way distinguish the SSA and RMSA teachers and thus the salary structure of the programme is based strictly on different sections of the school they are teaching – up to Rs 15,000 for primary teachers, Rs 20,000 for upper primary teachers and Rs 25,000 for secondary teachers.
Based on the stated amount of Rs 25,000, the association said the office memorandum served to the RMSA teachers was not only ‘discriminatory’ but also ‘irrational’ and ‘invalid’ as it is ‘adduced using only those cherry-picked contexts of the scheme which are of their advantage to make it resemble as though it were the whole truth thereby befooling the employees.’
“Further, attempted use of psychological intimidation of termination invoking the basis of engagement order is highly atrocious and misleading,” the association stated.