Uncertainty continues to loom large over the protesting Ad hoc teachers as they entered the fourth day of their indefinite hunger strike, completing the eight day of agitation today. The teachers have once again started protesting outside the Nagaland Civil Secretariat.
Following the proposal of the state government to form a High Powered Committee, the agitating teachers today submitted a representation to the Chief Minister rejecting the same. The representation was signed by the ANATG President and General Secretary including signatories from their respective unit presidents and secretaries.
The last few days have not been an easy ride for the 1,166 Ad hoc teachers. The state government appears not to be giving much effort to look into the teachers’ demand, while the aggrieved teachers – who come from different parts of the state and have left their families behind – continue to agitate in the state capital hoping against hope that their issue would be amicably resolved.
Speaking to some of the participants of the hunger strike, we learn of their expectations and struggle. Those who shared their experiences also sent out messages to their families back home.
T Jamio from Wokha district said he is more than 100 percent hopeful that the government will come to a conclusion to facilitate their issue. Sending a message to the government, he said, “Since we are also Naga people, we are not refugees or we are not strangers and we are the builder of the nation and the younger generation so we have given all our best lives of our stage to the children and the students. We are not demanding nothing more or nothing less but only our service regularisation.”
Jamio also said he felt very emotional when thinking about his family whom he has left behind in Wokha, describing the struggle as something he cannot express. “Every day they are praying for us, holding back their tears but still then they are hopeful that very soon some positive response will come out from the government side,” he said.
Coming from different districts, the Ad-hoc teachers have left their families behind to take part in the protest.
Chubayenla from Mokokchung district said, coming to Kohima, she was hopeful that the government, the people in the hot seats if they are humane enough, would meet their demands; however, it was the other way around.
“It’s been days we are here, we are struggling, feeling tired, sick and weak and of course, hungry but I haven’t lost hope and I think that the government will surely fulfil our demand,” she said.
Sending a message to her husband back in Mokokchung, Chubayenla said: “I know you were against my decision to be a part of the hunger strikers but here I am because I don’t want anyone to sit and suffer for my regularisation, and I want you to remember that if something happens to me, the government will be responsible for it.”
