IMPHAL, January 13: The Kuki Students Organisation and the All Naga Students Association Manipur have decided during a joint meeting to launch democratic forms of serious agitations in the State starting January 22 in connection with the issue surrounding the 2006 contract teachers of hills if the government fails to meet the deadline set.
This was stated by ANSAM president Seth Shatshang.
Speaking to media persons at the Tribal Research Institute complex today after a joint meeting of the two students’ body, Seth said that in 2006, altogether 772 teachers were appointed on contract basis for the schools of Hills districts of the State.
But unfortunately, the government has yet not taken any steps for regularisation of the teachers till today.
The contract teachers, he said was appointment and engaged by the directorate of Education (S) Hills under a Memorandum of Understanding signed between the government and the All Tribal Students Union Manipur in the year 2006.
He added the MoU clearly reflected that the contractual teachers will be utilised until the posts are filled up on regular basis through recruitment or a special drive as the case may require.
On November 2011, physical verification of relevant documents of the contractual teachers was conducted by the Directorate of Education (s) for their service extension or regularisation, he added.
During the process, 772 numbers of the contractual teachers were found genuine and their case placed before the higher authorities for necessary action, however, till date there has been no concrete development, he lamented.
Although the concerned authorities have already given assurances on numerous occasions to redress the issue, no proper action has been taken up so far, he claimed.
The negligence of the government has only resulted in many government schools in the hill districts being paralysed due to lack of teachers, Seth claimed.
The student bodies’ demand is regularisation of the 772 teachers or any amicable solution to the issue at the earliest, he said.
The last ultimatum in this regard was submitted on December 14, 2015 and a deadline was set for January 21 for the government to act on the demand, he added.
KSO general secretary Seiboi Haokip said the student bodies have signed 16 MoUs with the government in this regard since 2006, but the government is yet to fulfil any of the demands.
This amounts to humiliation of the contract teachers, he said pointing out that there has been no extension of their contracts or their posts regularisation since 2008. The government has also not announced their appointments terminated till date, he added.
As of now the teachers are continuing to work in their respective schools and their salaries are being provided by the locals, he added.