Kohima: Students and community leaders in the Sungro Range sealed Government Higher Secondary School (GHSS) on November 2. They launched an indefinite agitation to demand the immediate appointment of teachers and non-teaching staff. The protest includes village councils and student bodies from Pangti, Okotso, Sungro, Old and New Aree, Yanthamo, and Asha.
Positions have sat vacant since 2022 after staff retired or died. The school lacks language instructors, a physical education teacher, and a lower division assistant. One math teacher currently handles all math classes after the department transferred another without sending a replacement. Maternity leave has further drained the staff, leaving the school struggling to cover subjects like environmental education.
The department issued an order on October 29 but failed to assign anyone to GHSS Sungro. Protesters say they have submitted multiple pleas and ultimatums that officials ignored. Students are now missing key parts of their syllabus as exams approach.
Pangti Village Students Union President Bonao Lotha defended the shutdown. He noted, "The school had already been functioning under difficult academic conditions due to the absence of teachers in several subjects, adding that the closure during the agitation would make little difference to a situation where normal academic activities were already affected."
Zanbemo W. Kithan, chairman of the Pangti Village Council, argued that the school is one of the largest in Wokha district. He criticized the government for staffing smaller schools while leaving this facility empty. Penthungo, secretary of the Okotso Village Development Board, urged authorities to stop compromising student futures. The school will remain shut until the department provides written guarantees to fill the vacancies.
Comments