No textbooks, no classes

Schools in rural areas suffering from Nagaland State Govt apathy

Morung Express News
Mezoma | February 16  

Thepfukuokho Kuotsu, Teacher-in-charge of Government Primary School, Mezoma can only recall a single occasion when textbooks for students in his village arrived on time. But he cannot recall when as it has been a “very long time.”

However there is nothing unusual about the late arrival. The ‘normal’ arrival of textbooks is late by a month, but no sooner than a month, said Kuotsu, adding that it is not restricted to Mezoma alone but many other villages too undergo the same cycle of late distribution of textbooks every year.  

The Village Education Committee (VEC) Chairperson, K. Kuotsu, confirmed the information. Along with the rest of the schools in Nagaland, the two Government Primary Schools and Government High School in Mezoma officially “re-opened” in the first week of February.  

But a visit to these schools on Tuesday, February 16 – a working day- was greeted with locked doors. The reason: failure to provide textbooks on time.  

Most of the teachers had either gone to field or out for other engagements as the schools were closed unofficially for the want of teaching apparatus.  

“We cannot start classes without textbooks,” said Kuotsu while also speculating ‘rumors’ of changes in the curriculum. Kuotsu, like the many other teachers in the rural areas, has lost faith in the system. So has the VEC of Mezoma.

“Despite the many complains and appeals voiced by the schools and students’ organisation, I have never experienced a time when textbooks arrived on time,” said the teacher-in-charge.  

The late distribution of books, however, is not the only problem the government schools in Mezoma have to struggle with. Compared to four years ago, the mid-day meal ration distributions have decreased drastically. “Now they don’t even provide us monthly (ration),” maintained Kuotsu.  

In 2015, they reportedly received ration only three times and in each distribution the school received only about three bags of rice and a little money for buying other ingredients used in cooking the mid day meal.  

Another problem plaguing the village school system is the engagement of teachers in other activities, it was informed. While acute shortage of teacher is a common feature in most of the schools, the teachers are made to engage in other activities by the government such as deputing for Census enumeration works, as Booth Level Officers, appointment by Economic and Statistics department for assistance in Birth and Death rates etc.

Most teachers are made to attend trainings after which they have to send reports, it was noted. As a result, the teachers have to juggle many activities along with teaching affecting their performance adversely.  

Requests were often made to concerned authorities to disallow teachers from engaging in such activities as it was hampering the education of the children. However, this has not stopped the authorities from involving the teachers.  

The case of government schools in Mezoma is just a fraction of what most government schools in rural Nagaland face. Mezoma Village’s proximity to State capital, Kohima, which is just 8.8 km away, has not contributed to prompt delivery of public services. The next Naga generation, then, will continue to live with this apathy from the Nagaland State Government and wait for their education till their textbooks arrive and schools resume.