Nagaland rationalises government schools as 359 have fewer than 10 students, while teacher recruitment continues amid a 7:1 ratio.
KOHIMA — As part of its ongoing school rationalisation exercise, Nagaland government has reduced the number of government schools from 1,939 to 1,881, with 359 schools recording enrolment of fewer than 10 students.
Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, who also holds the School Education portfolio, informed the Nagaland Legislative Assembly on Tuesday that another 859 government schools had fewer than 25 students.
He was responding to a question from MLA Nyamnyei Konyak on teacher vacancies and the rationalisation of government schools.
Rio said that schools with fewer than 10 students would be clubbed with nearby schools where access was feasible. He maintained that the prescribed staffing pattern could not be applied mechanically to schools with only two or three students.
Despite concerns over teacher shortages, the state's student-teacher ratio currently stands at 7:1, compared with the national average of 24:1. The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 prescribes a benchmark of 30:1.
Also read: Nagaland to shut more government schools, continue amalgamation drive
Nagaland: Government schools lead private in Commerce, trail in Arts, Science
Rio added that teacher deployment and vacancies had to be assessed school-wise based on enrolment, the prescribed staffing pattern and actual requirements rather than on a district-wise basis.
He urged legislators not to be agitated by the rationalisation exercise, reasoning that the department was assessing schools according to the availability of students.
WATCH MORE:
According to Rio, the present situation was partly linked to what he described as the “wrong census” of 2001. He said the population figures from that Census had led to the creation and upgrading of schools and subsequent appointment of teachers without sufficient consideration of actual enrolment.
He explained that the government had to appoint teachers as more schools were created and upgraded based on the 2001 Census figures, resulting in teachers being posted to schools with very low enrolment.
The chief minister informed that an academic review would be undertaken, with particular attention to difficult and remote areas. He specifically mentioned Eastern Nagaland and Mon district, where schools would be reassessed and adjustments made according to requirements.
Read more from NLA Session: FCRA Bill: Nagaland Assembly seeks withdrawal, wider consultations
On teacher recruitment, Rio said the process was under way. Seventy postgraduate teacher (PGT) postsare awaiting the results of the NPSC written examination.
Another 182 posts—comprising 32 PGTs, 50 graduate teachers (Science), 50 graduate teachers (Mathematics) and 50 graduate teachers (Hindi)—are under process for requisition to the NPSC. These posts are awaiting clearance through the Personnel Information Management System (PIMS), after which they are expected to be advertised.
However, 22 previously sanctioned teacher vacancies remain unfilled, despite repeated recruitment attempts. These include four posts reserved for persons with disabilities, 17 reserved posts and one open post. Some of the vacancies were advertised as early as 2016.
Minister for Higher Education and Tourism Temjen Imna Along said that teachers were recruited according to actual requirements rather than district quotas.
On the amalgamation and merger of schools, Along clarified that the exercise was not targeting any particular district or community but was being undertaken based on requirements.
He said the department was taking time to examine all aspects of the exercise. “We want to keep schools, but just keeping schools with teachers and without students is not right,” Along said.
JOIN OUR WHATSAPP CHANNEL