Govt school lecturers launch pen-down stir
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, July 21 2025: With teachers under the Lecturers' Association Manipur (LAM) on pen-down strike since Saturday over irregular payment of salaries, government higher secondary school students are affected due to suspension of class.

Meanwhile, in a show of solidarity to LAM's clarion call, lecturers of Tamphasana Girls Higher Secondary School and CC Higher Secondary School joined the pen down strike on Monday.

According to TG Higher Secondary School vice principal Nongthombam Femina, around 53 lecturers are working in the school having nearly 1900 students.

Conceding that the pen down strike has severely affected the academic atmosphere of the school, she said: "Most of the lecturers who are on strike, teach Manipuri, Political Science and Home Science subjects and as such, classes cannot be conducted for these subjects" .

The vice principal explained that teachers from other subjects have taken over for the sake of the students but this is not a long-term solution.

"The students are only the ones who suffer these losses.

So, we appeal to authorities concerned to address grievances of the teachers in the interest of the students," she pleaded.

A protesting lecturer from TG Higher Secondary stated that in 2018, the state government recruited around 603 lecturers.

On August 8, 2022, the government issued a notification, regularising the whole batch.

However, despite being regular government employees, the lecturers have yet to receive their monthly salaries though they have been compensated for 19 months of work on a contract basis.

Acknowledging the inconveniences faced by the students, the lecturer said that the teachers have endured for a long time and but performed their duties without pay while managing their family responsibilities and other expenses including transportation.

Despite repeated requests to authorities concerned, their issues remain unaddressed.

The lecturer then announced that the pen-down strike would continue till July 26 and appealed to the government to address their demands at the earliest.

Comment