Course of agitation will depend on Nagaland government’s response, says Yimkhiung student body

DIMAPUR —  The Yimkhiung Akheru Arihako (YAA) has asserted that its agitation against the Department of School Education (DoSE) will continue until the state government comes up with a concrete and positive assurance.

The student body launched its protest on February 2, after the DoSE failed to address its demand for deployment of teachers in government schools located in Yimkhiung areas.

Whether the agitation will be intensified or called off “will depend on the government,” YAA President Keyongkhum Yimkhiung told Eastern Mirror on Wednesday, as the protest entered its sixth day.

Notably, on February 6, the advisor for DoSE, Dr. Kekhrielhoulie Yhome outlined steps to tackle issues in Nagaland’s education sector and touched upon the YAA’s demand during a consultative meeting with student bodies. He said that some of their demands are solvable immediately, while some are not.

On this, the YAA president asserted that it wants “positive assurance” from the department and the government. The authorities must outline which of the demands are going to be met immediately and which ones are to be done in the future, and then the YAA will consider what to do with the on-going agitation, he added.

The YAA had pointed out in its ultimatum served to the DoSE on January 18, that there is shortage of 64 primary teachers, 85 language teachers, 50 undergraduate Hindi teachers, 22 graduate English teachers, 16 SS/general teachers, 20 mathematics teachers, 18 science teachers and 5 post graduate teachers in Yimkhiung areas.

Recounting the sequence of events leading to serving of an ultimatum, the student body said that the acute shortage of teachers in government schools across the Yimkhiung jurisdiction had paralysed the efficient functioning of schools and adversely affected students’ pursuit of education.

Against this backdrop, the YAA had submitted a representation to the principal director of School Education on June 30, 2023, requesting the department to deploy requisite teachers to meet the shortage.

A reminder petition was later submitted on August 22, 2023, before serving an ultimatum last month.

Also read: YAA indefinite agitation: Likimro Hydro Electric Power Project shut