Betrayed by the system – The unjust agony of Manipur’s 603 lecturers

The ongoing pen-down strike by 603 Higher Secondary School lecturers under the banner of the Lecturers’ Association Manipur (LAM) reveals a deep and disturbing faultline in the Manipur government’s public service management. These educators, appointed on a contractual basis in 2018-19 and approved for regularization by a Cabinet decision and later by a government order dated January 8, 2022, have waited patiently—some for over five years—only to be met with silence, delay, and broken promises. Their struggle is not merely about salary arrears or official regularization, but about the credibility of governance and the right to dignified public service.
At the heart of this agitation lies a glaring discrepancy between stated government policy and actual administrative conduct. The 2021 Recruitment Rules of the Manipur Government, reinforced by an official memorandum from the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms, clearly state that direct appointees under contract are to be considered public servants, entitled to public service benefits such as leave, provident fund contributions, and above all, regularization after a stipulated period—five to ten years—based on efficiency, apolitical conduct, and satisfactory service.
The 603 lecturers have met these conditions. They were recruited through a transparent process, posted across the state, and served during a particularly volatile time, including during the state’s ongoing unrest. The Cabinet, the apex executive authority of the state, officially approved their regularization, fixing April 1, 2023 as the effective date for salary under regular pay scale. Yet, over two years since that approval, and more than a year after the implementation date, no formal regularization order has materialized. No salaries under the regular pay structure have been released. The lecturers continue to be treated as expendable human resources—some even forced to take shelter in relief camps due to the violence in Manipur.
This bureaucratic inertia is indefensible. When the Cabinet gives its nod, the execution machinery must follow through. The failure to act on an approved decision reflects a breakdown in the chain of governance—an administrative vacuum that makes a mockery of policy itself. The state cannot, in good conscience, invite skilled citizens into its service, promise them dignity and growth, and then abandon them in limbo.
So where does the fault lie?
First, the Education (S) Department, which was entrusted with implementing the regularization order, has failed in its mandate. There has been no clear communication, no formal explanation for the delay, and no roadmap offered to the lecturers. Second, the Finance Department must answer why sanctioned salaries were not budgeted and disbursed despite prior approval. If financial constraints were at play, why was the Cabinet not informed? Why were new batches of contract lecturers recruited when existing ones had not been absorbed?
Third, the Manipur Government’s wider failure lies in its selective application of its own recruitment policies. While some contract employees in other departments have been regularized or compensated with benefits, the lecturers—responsible for shaping the next generation—have been denied even basic assurance of job security.
This isn’t just a policy lapse; it’s a moral failure.
It is the government’s duty to protect its employees, particularly those it has formally engaged and recognized through cabinet decisions. The excuse of ongoing state turmoil or financial strain rings hollow when weighed against the scale of impact—a collapsed education system, demoralized workforce, and disillusioned youth watching their teachers struggle for basic rights.
The pen-down strike may disrupt school administration temporarily, but the real damage is long-term and structural. It raises serious questions: Can contract employees ever trust the government? Can policy be trusted when not implemented? Can a society grow when its teachers are made to beg?
It is time for the Manipur Government to take full and public responsibility. The 603 lecturers must be regularized without delay. Their dues must be paid. And a system of accountability must be enforced so that no public servant, present or future, suffers such betrayal again.
Because when the government fails its teachers, it fails its future.