Teachers’ shortage: Phek students take to the streets

•          Shortage in secondary, higher secondary sections

•          No classes in the face of approaching terminal examinations

•          Students warn School Education dept., of ‘aggression’ 

In a state known more for insurgency and a population teeming with government teachers, the eternal controversy about shortage of teachers continue to plague Nagaland and the careers of students.  After screaming hoarse for a long time to the government, Chakhesang students on Tuesday took their grievances to the streets.

On July 14, a protest rally was undertaken by Phek Town Chakhesang Students’ Union (PTCSU) and students of the ailing government higher secondary school of Phek, to register their protests against the lack of teaching manpower in the school.

The PTCSU has warned the authorities that the community would be forced to resort to ‘aggressive action’ if the demands are no fulfilled.

Citizens may note that the civil society of Phek have been expressing concern about the school for some time now. Principal concerns involve shortage of teachers as well as infrastructural problems that are understood to be old issues.  

The students started their rally from the premises of the government school to the town’s clock tower, before marching to the office of the deputy commissioner of the district. A copy of a memorandum listing out an elaborate set of demands was handed to the authorities to be handed over to disgraced department, the department of School Education.

Students of Phek town head out for the deputy commissioner’s office on July 14, in a protest rally that was undertaken by Phek Town Chakhesang Students’ Union (PTCSU) and students of the ailing government higher secondary school of Phek. The students are protesting the lack of teaching manpower in the town’s government higher secondary school. 

The memorandum was addressed to the director of School Education, the students’ organization informed on Tuesday. The students have demanded ‘prompt necessary action’.

The points of concern the PTCSU raised in the memorandum:

• ·     Acute shortage of teachers in both at secondary and higher secondary sections
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•       The students’ community of Phek has asked the higher authorities of the Education department to expedite appointment and recruitment of teachers. The new academic session “had well begun already”, the memorandum stated.
  
• ·     Disproportionate teacher-student ratio: the students have expressed serious concern at what it stated was the ‘present excess enrolment of students of 532, with an addition of 354 new admissions in class-XI, with only 34 teaching staffers. This is a “potential negative impact on quality education,” the students’ union has stated.
  
• ·     Deprivation of students to choose fourth/optional subjects: “Owing to lack of adequate manpower and infrastructure, the students are deprived of opting for optional subject of their choice,” the students’ union stated.
  
• ·     The students have also expressed serious concern at what it called the “non-starting of proper classes yet, with the terminal exams round the corner”.

According to the memorandum, the Right to Education Act, the concept of Nagaland as a welfare state, and the assertion of ‘equal justice’ would be nothing but a “subject of mockery” considering the indifference and inaction on the part of the state’s authorities.

“Students’ career is at peril and the eventuality will be the solely responsibility of the concerned authority / authorities,” the organization stated.

“Despite numerous memoranda and pleas submitted already to the authorities by the students’ body and school principal, no proper response could be elicited yet. Hence, from now on, the students will be compelled to resort more aggressive means of agitation, and the authorities will be held solely responsible for any eventuality,” the PTCSU stated. 

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