The Nagaland NET Qualified Forum (NNQF) has submitted a memorandum to the Chief Secretary and the Minister for Higher Education objecting to Point No. 9 of the All Nagaland Government College Teachers’ Association (ANGCTA) Charter of Demands, which seeks the regularisation of guest, ad hoc and contract teachers in government colleges.
In the memorandum, the Forum said the demand was “wholly unacceptable” in the context of Nagaland, arguing that the people of the state had already rejected such a move during the statewide protests against the proposed regularisation of 147 Assistant Professors and Librarians.
The NNQF maintained that appointments to the posts of Assistant Professor and Librarian in Government colleges are governed by the Government of Nagaland Recruitment Rules and the University Grants Commission (UGC) Regulations, under which recruitment is conducted exclusively through the Nagaland Public Service Commission (NPSC) Combined Educational Services Examination (CESE).
According to the Forum, the NPSC CESE must remain the sole recruitment mechanism for these posts, and no individual should be granted regular appointment by bypassing the prescribed competitive selection process.
The Forum contended that regularising contractual appointments would undermine the sanctity of the NPSC, deprive thousands of NET, SET and Ph.D-qualified aspirants of an equal opportunity to compete for public posts, and erode public confidence in the recruitment system.
The NNQF further alleged that a substantial number of contractual appointments in the Higher Education Department had been made without public advertisement, without inviting applications from all eligible candidates, or an open competitive selection process, thereby denying many eligible candidates the opportunity to apply.
It argued that any move to regularise such appointments would legitimise “backdoor entry” into public service and undermine the principles of merit, transparency, fairness and equal opportunity that govern public recruitment.
The Forum also pointed out that appointments to Government colleges and Universities are governed by different statutory frameworks, service rules and appointing authorities. Therefore, it said, a blanket demand for regularisation of guest, ad hoc and contract teachers across universities and colleges could not be applied to Government colleges in Nagaland, where recruitment is conducted through the NPSC CESE.
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Clarifying its stand, the NNQF said it had no objection to the other demands raised by ANGCTA and was opposing only Point No. 9 of its charter, which says, “All working Guest/Adhoc/Contract teachers in universities and colleges across the country should be regularised.”
The Forum urged the Government of Nagaland to reject any proposal to regularise or absorb guest, ad hoc or contract teachers in Government colleges, reject the implementation of Point No. 9 of the ANGCTA charter, terminate the services of the 147 contractual Assistant Professors appointed in Government colleges and immediately create regular posts against those positions.
It also demanded that the Government uphold the NPSC CESE as the sole recruitment mechanism for Assistant Professors and Librarians, ensure that all existing and future vacancies are filled only through open advertisement and competitive recruitment by the NPSC, and review all contractual appointments made without public advertisement or open competitive selection.
Questioning why ANGCTA continued to press for regularisation, the NNQF said the state Government had already addressed the issue following the public protests against the proposed regularisation of the 147 Assistant Professors in 2025, and noted that the matter is also pending before the court.
The Forum warned that if any attempt is made to implement Point No. 9 or bypass the NPSC CESE through regularisation or absorption, it would be compelled to launch statewide protests similar to those held during the agitation against the attempted regularisation of the 147 Assistant Professors and Librarians.
It further stated that it reserved the right to pursue all lawful remedies to ensure that appointments to public posts are made strictly through the prescribed recruitment process based on merit, transparency and equal opportunity.
“Public employment is not a privilege to be regularised; it is a constitutional opportunity to be earned through merit, transparency and fair competition,” the memorandum stated.
