Morung Express News
Dimapur | May 28
Admissions into the Government Higher Secondary School at Half-Nagarjan for class XI closed on May 22 and classes have begun. But the school is under pressure to take in more students despite the record intake of over 320 students this year into both the Arts and Science streams. Having already admitted more students than the school can accommodate, there seems to be no end to the influx outside the Principal’s office.
This year, the school has faced numerous difficulties during admission time. It is obligatory for government schools to give preference to their own class X pass outs. This is followed by selection on merit basis for which there is a cut-off percentage for all disciplines. A sense of responsibility also lies with the school to admit students from underprivileged backgrounds on humanitarian grounds. However, the staggering number of students admitted this year is also attributed to pressure from different corners, which the school faces tremendously.
The school has faced the dilemma of receiving ‘letters’ from politicians, top bureaucrats, class-I gazetted officers, student bodies, non-governmental organisations, the Dimapur civic body and officials from the department of Education. Unfortunately, holders of such ‘letters’ were students with poor results who probably would not have been admitted elsewhere. Those sections of students who could not procure such references hovered around the Principal’s office for days at a stretch, leaving no option for the authority but to give admission.
The Government School in Half-Nagarjan, established in the 1960s, was upgraded to higher secondary in 1993. Over the years, the school has grown to become one of the best performing government schools in the state. The location is ideal and most students prefer taking admission there. Despite the numerous problems that the school faces, it continues to function effectively. However, it appears like the school can no longer be prolific due to mounting problems and pressures.
The school’s higher secondary section currently has nearly 700 students of which about 450 belong to the Arts stream. There are just five classrooms while the school auditorium is being used as a classroom as well. The dilemma of having to teach a classroom filled with 250 students is something only the teachers can explain. Some teachers say that they face difficulty maintaining discipline and giving individual attention to students. The disproportionate student-teacher ratio causes a lot of strain on the teachers mentally and physically.
On an average, an Arts teacher takes four classes a day with one period running up to 50 minutes. The Arts stream consists of only one teacher for each subject which is taking its toll. It is informed that most newly upgraded schools having less than 50 students have been provided with two post-graduate teachers for one subject, while the school in Half-Nagarjan is suffering. Added to the pile of problems for Arts teachers is also that of Science teachers. Due to shortage of equipments and chemicals in Science laboratories, a Science teacher says that it is difficult to perform all experiments as required.
The absence of teachers for Zoology, Hindi and MIL subjects like Ao, Sumi and Tenyidie is also a very serious concern for the school. The inability of the government to provide teachers or substitutes is causing worry among students as selection exams are approaching. Despite the school being one of the first to be upgraded and with the increasing number of students, subjects like Psychology, Sociology and Geography are still not an option here, something which has already been accorded to other newly upgraded schools.
The school has on several occasions pushed forth their problems to the highest level at the Education department. It only remains to be seen if the department will act and come to the rescue of the school which is slowly beginning to resemble a marketplace.
