Manipur higher secondary schools hit as contractual teachers' strike enters day 3

Academic activities in government higher secondary schools across Manipur remained disrupted for the third consecutive day as over 600 contractual teachers from the 2018 batch continued their pen-down strike demanding service regularisation and timely salary disbursal.

The strike, spearheaded by the Lecturers’ Association Manipur (2018 batch), began on Monday. The protesting teachers are pressing for the implementation of a state cabinet decision made in January 2022 that approved their regularisation, and a follow-up order mandating regular salary payments from April 2023 — both of which they claim remain unfulfilled.

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"We have been diligently performing our duties, including election responsibilities, but we are still denied regular salaries," said S. Anita, a protesting lecturer. “We regret the impact on students, but we are also under extreme financial strain.”

The disruption has triggered concern among students, many of whom joined protests in solidarity with their teachers. Students from institutions like Johnstone Higher Secondary School and CC Higher Secondary School were seen protesting at their respective campuses, calling on the state government to resolve the issue swiftly and restore academic normalcy.

The lecturers have announced that the six-day strike will continue unless their demands are met, raising concerns of prolonged academic setbacks in Manipur’s government higher secondary education system.