Naga People’s Front Zunheboto highlighted severe infrastructure gaps at the District Institute of Education and Training Centre, affecting hostels, utilities and teacher training.
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DIMAPUR — Office bearers of the Naga People’s Front (NPF), Zunheboto 35 Assembly Constituency highlighted the “acute lack of basic infrastructure and essential facilities” at the District Institute of Education and Training (DIET) Centre, Zunheboto, including non-functional hostels, inadequate power and water supply, and a deteriorating administrative building.
In a press release issued after their visit to the DIET Centre on Tuesday, the NPF team said they found the institute struggling with basic utilities, even though it had shifted to a newly constructed campus only last year after nearly 12 years of delayed construction.
According to the release, the administrative building’s ceiling is in poor condition, with rainwater reportedly leaking into rooms during rainfall. The institute currently relies mainly on solar power, and although an electricity connection exists, it was stated to be insufficient for the centre’s requirements.
The NPF said DIET staff informed them that the institute has a sanctioned intake of 50 students for its two-year pre-service teacher training course, but enrolment has declined sharply. Only nine students are enrolled in the current academic session, compared to 20 in the previous year. The next academic session is scheduled to begin in August.
Although the DIET Centre has separate hostels for boys and girls, no students are currently staying on campus due to the absence of electricity, water supply and basic amenities. The lack of appointed wardens for both hostels was cited as a major concern. As a result, hostel furniture is being used in the institute’s library, which the release said has limited books and was set up largely through staff contributions.
The press release stated that students from distant areas face difficulties as commercial vehicles do not ply regularly to the area. The approach road to the institute remains underdeveloped, and the use of the same access road by nearby residents was flagged as a security concern.
It further noted that the centre is facing manpower constraints, with only 13 to 14 faculty members, including the Principal and Vice Principal, along with over 20 non-teaching staff. There is one staff quarter building on campus, currently occupied by a single staff member.
Meanwhile, two batches under the Hindi group are scheduled to commence on February 17 as part of the ongoing two-year pre-service teacher training programme.
The NPF said the DIET Centre in Zunheboto was initiated in 2012 but construction remained stalled for several years. Work was revived in 2021–22 and although the building is now nearing completion, the institute continues to function without reliable electricity and water, hampering effective teacher training.