In response to escalating protests, the Nagaland Cabinet has decided to keep in abeyance the regularisation of 147 assistant professors and librarians until a detailed review is completed.
A five-member committee headed by Agriculture Production Commissioner Wezope Kenye has been constituted to examine the issue and submit its report within two months, officials said.
Announcing the decision after an emergency Cabinet meeting on Monday, Minister for Higher Education and Tourism Temjen Imna Along said the government had taken serious note of the agitations by several stakeholder groups.
“The Cabinet deliberated at length and decided to keep the regularisation in abeyance. Further discussions will be held with all stakeholders,” Along stated.
He appealed to the Naga Students’ Federation (NSF), Nagaland NET Qualified Forum (NNQF), Confederation of Teachers’ Association of Nagaland (CTAN), and other affiliated bodies to suspend their agitation and allow the committee to complete its assessment.
The decision came shortly after the NSF issued a seven-day ultimatum demanding the rollback of the Cabinet’s September 11, 2024, decision to regularise contractual faculty members — which the Federation had termed “unjust” and “contrary to merit-based principles.”
In its letter to the Higher Education Minister on Monday, the NSF warned that if the government failed to address its concerns by April 28, 2025, it would be “compelled to take to the streets.” The NSF had also earlier directed its members not to participate in any dharna supporting the regularisation move.
Calling the Cabinet’s latest step a “win-win situation,” Minister Along said that contractual appointments in higher education had been made since 2009 to address institutional needs, including shortages such as the 2020 teacher crisis at Wangkhao Government College in Mon, which sparked a student protest.
“The government is not ignoring the aspirations of these educators. We are committed to creating more posts in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, and to ensuring the right appointments for the right positions,” Along added.
Minister for Parliamentary Affairs and Power K.G. Kenye said the newly formed committee would take a neutral and thorough approach, stressing that the government did not want “teachers or students to suffer.”
However, both the CTAN and NNQF have rejected the formation of the committee, describing it as a “delaying tactic” and reiterating their demand for an immediate and transparent resolution.
