Against the backdrop of the agitation by Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) 2016 batch teachers, the department of School Education has issued an official statement highlighting that the department has filed a review petition in the Supreme Court and once the apex court passes its order on the petition, the state government shall honour the verdict.

In a release on Monday, the department stated that the RMSA Graduate Teachers (GT) of 2016 batch were engaged as contractual teachers in 2016 under RMSA, a Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) under the erstwhile Union Ministry of Human Resource Development. The GTs were recruited through an open recruitment process of advertisement and written examination conducted by the Nagaland Education Mission Society (NEMS).

On selection, the department stated that the teachers, fully understanding the nature of engagement, accepted the terms and conditions supported by affidavit acknowledging that their tenure was co-terminus with the scheme and the salary was subject to annual fund release of the Ministry. Accordingly, it said they were engaged by the NEMS, the implementing agency, against posts created for the CSS and not against substantive posts under the state cadre of the School Education department.

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On the acceptance of the service conditions, the teachers were stated to have been paid a fixed salary of Rs. 31,315 per month.

As per the department, in 2018, with the integration of the three flagship CSS programmes viz RMSA, SSA and Teacher Education into Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan, the Central government reduced the salary support for GTs to Rs 25000 per month. Consequently, the salary of the RMSA teachers of 2016 was reduced to Rs 25000.

Aggrieved, the teachers approached the Guwahati High Court Kohima Bench challenging the reduction in pay and seeking direction for grant of scale pay. According to the department, on 20th May 2020 the High Court quashed the Office Memorandum on reduction of pay, but did not agree to the grant of scale pay. However, in compliance to the court’s order, NEMS continued to pay the RMSA teachers Rs.31,315 per month till date, with partial funding from Union Ministry of Education and the shortfall met by the state government.

Meanwhile, the department stated, the RMSA teachers filed another case WA © NO.((K) 2020 in 2022 seeking grant of pay band Rs.9300-34800 with GP Rs,4200 PM. The court in its order dated 16.3.2022 directed the state to grant scale pay.

The press release additionally stated that since 2022-23, the Centre changed the funding pattern for financial support towards teachers’ salary with 5% annual incremental reduction leading to decrease in salary support in absolute terms from Rs 25,000 PM to Rs 18,750 PM as on date. Against the initial funding ratio of 90:10 between the Centre and state, the ratio is now 60:40 with increased financial burden on the state government, the department maintained.

In this backdrop, the state filed a Special Leave Petition in the Supreme Court against the verdict of the Guwahati High Court, and on May 20, 2025, the Supreme Court upheld the order of the Guwahati High Court. Upon receipt of the Supreme Court’s order, the state government filed a Review Petition on August 14, 2025.

In an attempt to resolve the impasse, a meeting was held on September 2 and 3 with the aggrieved teachers in the presence of Adviser School Education and SCERT requesting the teachers to resume classes since the state government has preferred to file a review petition.

The department also specified that on September 11, a joint meeting was convened by Commissioner and Secretary School Education with representatives of ANSTA, RMSA 2016 batch teachers and officers of the department wherein the aggrieved teachers were apprised of the status and assured that once the Supreme Court passes its order on the Review Petition, the state government would honour the court’s verdict, and requested the teachers to resume their duties.