Kohima: The Nagaland NET Qualified Forum (NNQF) has submitted a memorandum to the Nagaland Chief Secretary and the Minister for Higher Education, objecting to Point No. 9 of the All Nagaland Government College Teachers’ Association (ANGCTA) Charter of Demands, which seeks the regularisation of guest, ad hoc and contract teachers.
In the memorandum submitted on August 7, the forum described the demand as “wholly unacceptable” and argued that any move to regularise contractual appointments would undermine merit-based recruitment and the role of the Nagaland Public Service Commission (NPSC).
The NNQF stated that the people of Nagaland had already rejected such a proposal during the statewide protests against the attempted regularisation of 147 assistant professors and librarians in 2025, describing the movement as a mandate against backdoor appointments and in favour of transparent recruitment.
According to the forum, recruitment to the posts of assistant professor and librarian in government colleges is governed by the Government of Nagaland’s recruitment rules and the University Grants Commission (UGC) Regulations. It maintained that appointments should be made only through the Combined Educational Services Examination (CESE) conducted by the NPSC.
“The NPSC CESE must remain the sole recruitment mechanism for appointments to these posts. No individual can claim regular appointment to a public post by bypassing this process,” the memorandum stated.
The forum further alleged that a significant number of contractual appointments in the Higher Education Department were made without public advertisement or an open competitive selection process, depriving many eligible candidates of the opportunity to apply.
It argued that regularising such appointments would legitimise backdoor entry into public service and undermine the principles of fairness, transparency and equal opportunity in public recruitment.
The NNQF also noted that appointments to government colleges and universities are governed by different statutory frameworks and appointing authorities. It therefore opposed what it termed a blanket demand for regularisation across universities and government colleges.
While clarifying that it has no objection to the rest of ANGCTA’s charter of demands, the forum urged the government to reject Point No. 9 and maintain the NPSC CESE as the only recruitment mechanism for assistant professors and librarians in government colleges.
Among its demands, the forum called on the government to reject any proposal for the regularisation or absorption of guest, ad hoc and contract teachers in government colleges, ensure that all existing and future vacancies are filled only through open competitive recruitment by the NPSC, and review contractual appointments made without public advertisement or competitive selection.
The NNQF also sought the termination of the services of the 147 contract assistant professors in government colleges and urged the government to immediately create regular posts against those positions.
Questioning ANGCTA’s continued demand for regularisation, the forum said the state government had already addressed the issue following public protests in 2025 and that the matter is currently before the court.
The forum warned that if any attempt is made to implement Point No. 9 or bypass the NPSC CESE through regularisation or absorption, its members would be compelled to launch statewide protests similar to those held against the attempted regularisation of the 147 assistant professors and librarians.
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It also said it reserved the right to pursue all lawful remedies to ensure that appointments to public posts are made only through the prescribed recruitment process and in accordance with the principles of merit, transparency and equal opportunity.
“Public employment is not a privilege to be regularised; it is a constitutional opportunity to be earned through merit, transparency and fair competition,” the memorandum stated.
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