Mizoram teachers protest new rules on ad hoc schools, burn copies of orders

Teachers from across Mizoram staged a protest in Aizawl on Wednesday, July 29, against the state government's new rules governing ad hoc schools, alleging that the policy downgrades the status of their institutions and demanding the full provincialisation of ad hoc high schools.

Members of the Mizoram Government Adhoc-Aided High School Teachers' Association (MIGAHTA) held a demonstration and burned copies of official orders revoking the provincialisation status of certain schools. They also set ablaze recent government orders that seek to shift some institutions to the Lumpsum Grant-in-Aid category.

Ad hoc schools in Mizoram are privately or community-managed institutions that receive financial assistance from the state government through grants-in-aid.

Addressing the gathering, MIGAHTA president F. Vanlalchhuanga said the new rules would significantly weaken the administrative status of the schools despite offering improved salaries and benefits for teachers.

"We demand that the government immediately withdraw these new rules," he said.

The association said it would continue its peaceful sit-in protest until Friday, warning that it would intensify its agitation if the government failed to respond positively to its demands.

The latest demonstration follows a series of protests organised by the teachers' body, including a black badge campaign on July 21 and 22, a 'No Teaching Day' observed on July 23 and 24, and a two-day mass casual leave on July 27 and 28, which disrupted academic activities in several schools across the state.

Meanwhile, the Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP), Mizoram's apex student organisation, has stepped in to mediate between the teachers and the state government.

As part of the mediation efforts, Education Minister Vanlalthlana met MZP leaders at the organisation's office in Aizawl on Wednesday to discuss the teachers' demands. The student body also held a separate meeting with MIGAHTA representatives to deliberate on the issues raised by the association.

MZP assistant general secretary Lalentlinga said the organisation hopes both the government and the teachers' association will reach an amicable resolution at the earliest to prevent further disruption to the academic calendar.