Manipur govt warns teachers against expressing views on govt policies without seeking approval

The Manipur government has asked teachers of all state-run colleges and employees of the higher education department to take necessary approvals from competent authorities before expressing any opinion on government policies or programmes in the media. In a memorandum issued recently, Director of University and Higher Education K Diana Devi said non-compliance of the order might lead to disciplinary action.

"Some government college teachers have been writing or expressing their views on government policies and programmes in the media which is likely to promote defiance of authority," Devi said in the statement issued on August 10. She also said that "due approval from the competent authority should be taken before publishing or making statement regarding any government policy or programme in the media, failing which appropriate action may be initiated against them as per the relevant provisions of Central Civil Service (Classification, Control and Appeal Rules, 1965)".

Several members of the Federation of Government College Teachers' Association (FEGOCTA) and All Manipur College Teacher Association (AMCTA) had been criticising the state government for its failure to implement the recommendations of the seventh pay commission. Many of them have also aired their views on the issue on news channels and social media.

Devi, in her statement, stipulated that "no government servant shall in the media publish any document in his own name or anonymously or make statements in the name of other person which has the effect of adverse criticism of any current or recent policy or action of the central/state government and which too is capable of embarrassing the relation between the Centre and government of any state".

N Somorendro, the general secretary of FEGOCTA, said the agitation over pay scale, which was suspended following the COVID-19 outbreak, was resumed by its members, as the "government did not pay heed to their repeated requests". He also said that government college teachers will not take part in any academic activity if the state does not fulfil their demand.