Wokha: Students seal GHSS Sungro over years-long teacher shortage

Students and community organisations of Sungro Range in Nagaland's Wokha district on Monday, November 2, sealed the Government Higher Secondary School (GHSS), Sungro, and launched an indefinite agitation over what they called a prolonged shortage of teaching and non-teaching staff, Eastern Mirror reported.

The protest was led by student bodies and village councils from the range, with representatives from Pangti, Okotso, Sungro, Old Aree, New Aree, Yanthamo and Asha villages taking part.

Posts empty since 2022

Speaking at the gathering, Pangti Village Students' Union (PVSU) president Bonao Lotha and other leaders accused the government of neglecting the school and giving it "stepmotherly" treatment.

They said several teaching posts had stayed vacant since teachers retired or died in 2022, with no replacements. Language teacher posts have been empty since then, they said, and the school also has no physical education teacher and no lower division assistant (LDA).

According to the student bodies, the problem has grown because teachers who went on maternity leave were not replaced by substitutes. In the lower section, only one mathematics teacher is now handling classes after another was transferred without a replacement, they said.

Exams without finishing the syllabus

Students said they have studied without a language teacher since 2022 and have also lacked teachers for environmental education and other subjects. Because of the shortage, they said, they have often had to sit for examinations without completing the syllabus.

Assurances, then an order with no teacher

The organisations said they had submitted several representations to the department, but had received only verbal assurances. Earlier, they had set the authorities an October 15 deadline to fill the posts. After that ultimatum, officials reportedly assured them the staffing problem would be sorted out.

However, a posting order issued on October 29 did not send any teacher to GHSS Sungro, which led them to seal the school and start the indefinite agitation, they said.

The protesters demanded immediate intervention from the School Education department. The department had not publicly responded to the agitation by Monday evening.

A wider problem

Teacher shortages in rural schools are a recurring complaint in Nagaland, where communities and student unions have in the past locked schools to press for postings. Sungro Range lies in Wokha district near the Doyang reservoir, and GHSS Sungro serves students from several surrounding villages.

NEInsider will update this story if the department responds or the agitation is called off.