Nsong Students’ Union issues final call to Nagaland School Education department after years of ‘complete negligence’

Demands immediate posting of science and English teachers

DIMAPUR — With the seven-day deadline from its August 4 ultimatum now expired, the Nsong Students’ Union (NSU) has renewed its demand for the immediate appointment of a qualified science teacher and an English teacher at Nsong Government High School (GHS), accusing the Department of School Education of long-standing neglect.

At a press conference on Tuesday in Dimapur, NSU president Rangtalak Pame said the situation at the school was so dire that a chowkidar was teaching science and an assistant carpenter was handling maths for lower classes. He described this as “complete negligence” on the part of the department, adding that “students are the future leaders, but the pillars of our nation have been knowingly destroyed.”

He said that the August 4 ultimatum, demanding the immediate appointment of a qualified science teacher and English teacher, had been the latest in a string of appeals — 12 in total — to various authorities over the past two and a half years. These included applications to four Extra Assistant Commissioners (EACs) posted at Nsong headquarters, four successive district education officers (DEOs) in Peren, all of whom were transferred before the matter was resolved. They also took their grievance to the Deputy Commissioner of Peren as well as their local MLA who even issued a recommendation letter, but the problem remained unresolved.

The student body submitted three letters to the Principal Director of School Education: one requesting the redeployment of the science teacher, another being a joint statement from all the CSOs, and the third being the August 4 ultimatum.

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‘Neglected for 2.5 years’

Nsong GHS is the only government high school in the region, serving nine villages with a combined population of between 5,000 and 10,000 people. Despite its importance, Pame said the school had been left without a science teacher for 18 months after the only one was cross-transferred in March 2023 to replace a teacher who had already resigned.

“This raises a serious question about whether the Education Department understands the meaning of ‘resignation,’” he said, pointing out that a teacher who had formally quit was still transferred to their school.

He said the department eventually posted a science teacher in September 2024, but she neither joined the school nor submitted a joining letter during the four months. Although a complaint was lodged and she was served a show-cause notice, she was later transferred back to her previous posting without having spent a single day at GHS Nsong.

The union’s frustration deepened in February 2025 when, instead of addressing the shortage of a science teacher, the department, as part of its ‘rationalisation’ exercise, removed the school’s only English teacher, leaving it without a headmaster, assistant headmaster, science teacher or English teacher.

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“We have lawfully followed every procedure and exercised utmost patience, yet our grievances have been consistently ignored,” Pame said.

According to NSU, GHS Nsong has the highest Class 10 enrolment among government high schools in the Tening subdivision. With half the academic year gone, they questioned how the syllabus could be completed without the required teachers.

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Pame urged the Education Department to “wake up from its negligence,” and said the union had travelled 150 km to hold the press conference. Back at Nsong, he added, students of GHS Nsong were staging a peaceful protest and had shut down the school on Tuesday.

He warned that the school would remain closed until both teachers were posted and said the union would escalate its agitation if the department did not act.

“If the concerned department fails to act, the union and representatives of all the CSOs will not be held responsible for any casualties or untoward incidents that may occur and the department will bear full responsibility for any such outcomes,” Pame said.

Having worked with the student community for the past five years and closely observing the Education Department, he further alleged that it is among the “most corrupt” in Nagaland.

Citing an example, he said that in March 2023, the Nsong Students’ Union inspected government schools and offices and found not just one, but three to four substitute teachers in place. A complaint regarding this was subsequently lodged with the department, he said.

Support from other student bodies

Speaking at the press conference, NSU secretary Haireilung stressed that with no alternative institution in the area, proper staffing of the school was crucial for students aspiring to higher education.

Zeme Students’ Union Nagaland president Ilungheu Kuame said the shortage of teachers was not limited to Nsong but affected nearly all government schools in the region, with some remote schools having only one or two teachers for 30–60 students. The absence of subject teachers, he said, had caused a sharp decline in results since 2023.

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Meanwhile, Zeliangrong Students’ Union Nagaland president Adaube Hiekha Hau said a joint statement had been submitted to the Principal Director on Feb. 13, 2025, but no action had been taken. “As a concerned apex student body, we urge the department to address the problem without delay,” he said.

Further emphasising that this is the “final call” to the department, the NSU warned that if qualified science and English teachers are not posted immediately, they will respond with unity, strength, and determination.

“This is no longer merely about the absence of teachers, but about education itself, a violation of the Right to Education Act, and the very credibility of Nagaland’s education system,” it asserted.

After waiting two and a half years, they said they have reached their breaking point. “Enough is enough — we demand justice for Nsong Government High School, we demand a future for our children, and we will not rest until this issue is resolved.”