GHSS Sungro row: Nagaland posts stop-gap teachers, union keeps schools shut

Nagaland's Department of School Education has decided to post more teachers at Government Higher Secondary School (GHSS), Sungro, in Wokha district, a day after students shut government schools in the area over a long-running staff shortage. The Lotha Middle Range Students' Union (LMRSU) says the steps do not go far enough, and its shutdown of schools and the Sub-Divisional Education Officer's (SDEO) office at Sanis stays in place until further notice.

What the department decided

The decisions were taken at a meeting on November 9 chaired by Principal Director of School Education Shashank Pratap Singh, according to the meeting minutes quoted by The Morung Express. They are:

• A Post Graduate Teacher (PGT) in Political Science will be sent to the school as a stop-gap arrangement, filling in for a teacher on maternity leave.
• The school's PGT in English is due back on November 10 after her maternity leave ends.
• One Graduate Teacher (General) will be posted to Sungro during the department's coming rationalisation of teachers.
• The principal has been told to assign duties to all teaching staff under the Nagaland School Education Service Rules, 2017.

Senior officials including the Director of School Education, the Senior SDEO of Wokha and the principal of GHSS Sungro attended the meeting.

Why the union is not satisfied

The LMRSU and village and civil society groups of the Sungro Range began their agitation on November 2. Their demands include two PGTs, two Graduate Teachers, two primary teachers, a combined LDA-cum-UDA post, a science laboratory attendant, and keeping the graduate mathematics teacher's post at the school.

Union president Rhonbemo Murry told reporters at Sanis that the school has five PGTs, two of whom are on maternity leave, leaving some subjects without regular classes. He said the union had first raised the shortage after a unit tour in March 2025 and had since sent representations, a memorandum and two ultimatums, but received only verbal assurances. The second phase of the agitation began on November 9 after no written commitment came.

Murry also questioned how teachers are spread across the district, claiming that some schools with only six or seven students have around 20 teachers, and called for posting staff based on enrolment. He said the union did not want temporary appointments and was pressing for permanent teachers.

GHSS Sungro serves seven villages and has 153 students in Classes 6 to 12.

What next

The union had earlier warned that a third phase could extend the shutdown to private schools and restrict vehicle movement in the Middle Range area. It has not said whether the department's latest steps will change those plans. NEInsider will update this story as the situation develops.