The Department of School Education (DoSE) Nagaland has clarified that the demand for immediate regularization of members of the All Nagaland Adhoc Teachers Group of 2015 (ANATG-2015) cannot be fulfilled at present as the process involves mandatory statutory and procedural requirements under the State Government’s one-time regularization policy.
In a press release issued on Wednesday, the Department reiterated that while the Government remains committed to addressing the grievances of adhoc and contract teachers, the regularization process involves detailed scrutiny, document verification, confirmation of eligibility criteria and compliance with established government guidelines applicable uniformly to all eligible adhoc/contract employees across the State. It further stated that issuing a definite timeline or accepting demands beyond the existing framework is not feasible at this stage.
Chronology:
The Department informed that ANATG-2015 comprises 1,166 teachers appointed on adhoc or contract basis under various categories between the late 1990s and 2012. To facilitate regularization, a suitability test was conducted in May 2017 in accordance with government orders issued in 2008 and 2016. Following the test, the department submitted the proposal for regularization to the State Cabinet in October 2017.
However, the process was halted following an order of the Gauhati High Court Kohima Bench in July 2017 restraining the State Government from proceeding with regularization of contract appointments. The Court later quashed the relevant Office Memorandums in August 2018, and directed the state government not to regularize contract/adhoc appointments, which further delayed the process.
Subsequently, the State Cabinet decided that regularization could not proceed until resolution of legal constraints but approved doubling of fixed salaries of adhoc teachers on August 29, 2018. Later, the teachers were granted scale pay under the 6th Revision of Pay (ROP) 2010.
In September 2021, ANATG-2015 submitted a representation seeking regularization under provisions applicable to employees who had completed ten years of continuous service as on April 10, 2006. However, on non-fulfilment of their demand, ANATG resorted to agitation from September 26, 2022 till October 7, 2022.
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Following agitation launched by the group, the Government constituted a High Powered Committee headed by the Principal Secretary to CM to resolve the issue, after which agitation was called off on October 7, 2022. The committee submitted its report in June 2023.
Based on the committee’s recommendations, the State Cabinet in February 2024 approved a policy for one-time regularization of adhoc and contract employees appointed prior to June 6, 2016, against sanctioned posts. Following this decision, the Nagaland P&AR Department issued detailed guidelines and constituted a Screening Committee to oversee implementation of the policy.
According to the department, details of 2,484 adhoc and contract employees were subsequently submitted to the Screening Committee for verification and assessment, and scrutiny of documents is currently underway.
The department also referred to the ultimatum served by ANATG-2015 in December 2025, warning of agitation if regularization was not completed by January 30, 2026. In response, meetings were held between Government officials and representatives of the teachers’ group in February 2026.
During the discussions, ANATG-2015 submitted seven demands, including immediate regularization, restoration of seniority benefits, exemption from further suitability tests, and reimbursement of arrears. Officials informed the delegation that while the Government is committed to resolving the issue, procedural requirements must be completed before any final decision can be taken. The Government also appealed to the group to withdraw agitation, assuring that the regularization process had already been initiated.
The department further informed that discussions held on February 17, 2026 remained inconclusive. However, ANATG-2015 later decided to temporarily suspend its agitation after consultation with its members.
Highlighting the procedural requirements, the department stated that the one-time regularization policy mandates submission and verification of appointment orders, confirmation of sanctioned or created posts, verification of educational qualifications, suitability test records, antecedent verification, and medical fitness certification. It maintained that these requirements must be followed uniformly for all eligible adhoc and contract employees.
Reaffirming the Government’s commitment to addressing the issue, the department stated that the regularization process is being actively pursued. However, it maintained that a definite timeframe cannot be announced until completion of document verification, scrutiny by the Screening Committee, and necessary approval from the Cabinet.
