Nagaland Teachers Struggle With Overlapping Exam and Election Duties

Kohima: Nagaland teachers serving as Booth Level Officers report burnout. Their schedules are buckling under the weight of competing priorities. The Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls wraps up on November 22, 2026. The Nagaland Teacher Eligibility Test sits just one day earlier on November 21.

Teachers from Tuensang, Kiphire, Wokha, and Zunheboto say they feel torn. They must handle door-to-door verification, data entry, and form collection for the election commission. These tasks involve long treks, bad internet, and poor transport. Meanwhile, their school duties include classroom teaching, record-keeping, and training sessions.

One teacher from Kiphire described the heavy toll of this double shift. “The mental stress is immense. We work from morning till late at night, seven days a week,” he said. Many argue that the N-TET is vital for their long-term career growth.

Staff report frequent travel to ERO and AERO offices further drains their limited time. They want the authorities to shift the exam date. Moving the test until after the November 22 deadline could fix the conflict. The teachers remain committed to their roles, but they ask for a sympathetic review of the current calendar.