Mokokchung, June 2 (MExN): The Mokokchung Town Lanur Telongjem (MTLT) is anxious. For months now, Nagaland’s primary and middle schools have not been functioning properly. The stalemate between the Nagaland SSA Teachers’ Association (NSSATA) and the Department of School Education (DoSE), Government of Nagaland, is affecting education throughout the state.
Under these circumstances, the MTLT felt constrained to demand that the Nagaland State government “resolve this issue at the earliest since this ongoing agitation is seriously affecting the careers of the students and also the quality of education in Naga society.”
In a press release from its Vice President, Martoshi Longkumer, and Convener of its Grievances Cell, Aolong Imchen, the MTLT expressed its anxiety. “First it was the state general election process where hundreds of teachers were deputed for election duties; second it was the pen-down strike, ongoing class boycott by the SSA teachers, and now the reported Phase III agitation by the SSA teachers from Wednesday.”
Students studying in government schools have been severely affected.
The MTLT questioned whether the DoSE’s conscience allows its administrators to “gamble with the lives and educational careers of the thousands of students studying in the government schools?”
In the MTLT’s observation, the appointment of well-qualified teachers through the SSA (Centrally Sponsored Scheme) has led to the improvement in quality of education, at least under Mokokchung town area.
“Therefore, at a time when every parent invests heavily on education and when the society aspires to give quality education to every child, irrespective of family background, these agitations seriously undermine the academic careers of students. The MTLT questions whether the DoSE will take responsibility if the academic session for this year is not completed because of the ongoing agitations.”
The MTLT has demanded that the Nagaland State Government “resolve this issue at the earliest lest Naga society degenerates into chaos because of indecisiveness on the part of powers that be.”
