Nagaland technical bodies call April 21 protest over professor regularisation

The Combined Technical Association of Nagaland (CTAN) and the Nagaland NET Qualified Forum (NNQF) have issued a strong appeal to the public and organizations across the state to join their continued protest against what they call a “blatantly unjust regularization” of 147 Assistant Professors and Librarians by the Department of Higher Education.

Despite staging a two-day peaceful protest, the associations claim their demands have gone unaddressed by authorities. As a result, they will intensify their agitation with a major peaceful protest march on Monday, April 21, starting at 9 AM in front of the State Secretariat, before proceeding to the Directorate of Higher Education.

They are calling on “right-thinking citizens” and organisations to stand in solidarity by joining the protest and contributing to the collective call for justice. Organizations are also invited to nominate representatives to deliver solidarity speeches during the gathering.

Also Read: Naga Students’ Federation slams professors’ regularisation, orders boycott of April 21 protest

The Two Core Demands:

Immediate revocation of Government Order No. HTE/HE/13-3/2020 (Pt-1) 104 dated 17th December 2024, which CTAN argues arbitrarily absorbs 147 contract-based professors and librarians without proper recruitment procedures.

Immediate requisition of all Assistant Professor/Librarian posts that were filled on contract after the 06/06/2016 cut-off date, as per the government’s own Office Memorandum banning such appointments.

The associations maintain that meritocracy, transparency, and due process must be upheld in public recruitment, warning that bypassing open competitive exams erodes trust in the system and undermines the aspirations of qualified youth in Nagaland.

The protest reflects growing discontent among technical professionals and qualified job aspirants over irregular appointments and perceived systemic loopholes in the higher education hiring process.