‘Lose-lose situation’: Nagaland Congress says students bearing the brunt of RMSA teachers’ agitation

The Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) has raised alarm over the ongoing protest by a section of Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) teachers, warning that students are the ones paying the price for the standoff.

According to the NPCC, the deadlock stems from the state government’s failure to implement a Gauhati High Court ruling—later upheld by the Supreme Court—that directed equal pay and service benefits for the aggrieved RMSA teachers in line with their counterparts.

“The judgment unambiguously entitles the aggrieved RMSA teachers to salary and service benefits at par with other batches of RMSA teachers,” the committee said in a statement. “There’s no justifiable reason for the government of the day to deny, delay or deviate from this stated verdict.”

The NPCC accused the government and the concerned department of dragging their feet, which has led to disruption in schools across Nagaland. It cautioned that the stalemate is turning into a “lose-lose situation for all stakeholders, particularly the student community.”

Appealing for urgent intervention, the NPCC urged the state to comply with the court order and bring the agitation to an end. “The future of our children must always remain the top priority, and every effort must be made to ensure that it is not jeopardised by inaction or neglect,” it added.