Dimapur: The Rising People’s Party (RPP) on Thursday asked Nagaland’s directorate of school education to immediately withdraw its September 15 notification ordering the government teachers not to make any communication with the press nor call a public meeting to discuss “their conditions”.
The party, in a release, alleged that after the All Nagaland School Teachers Association and Nagaland Government Higher Secondary Schools Employee Association called for a pen-down strike for non-payment of salaries, the directorate was now resorting to “dirty tricks” to intimidate the teachers in the form of the notification laying out Rule 25 of the Nagaland Government Servants Conduct Rules, 1968.
It said instead of trying to resolve the issue through meaningful engagement, the department issued the notification which is highly insensitive and condemnable.
According to the RPP, the “absolutely inept, thoroughly unprofessional, highly mismanaged school education directorate” is now misusing Rule 25 of the Nagaland Government Servants Conduct Rules, 1968, to strip the teachers of their last dignity, which is uncalled for and unethical.
The party also sought to know whether the officers and non-teaching staff of the directorate and district offices get their salaries on time.
“And if yes, why this stepmotherly treatment toward the teaching staff?” it asked.
The RPP said according to its sources in the directorate, the teachers will not receive salaries for the month of September nor for the next six months.
It reminded the state government that the salary component of government employees is budgeted and that the question of salary non-payment does not arise unless it has been siphoned off.