Morung Express News
Dimapur | January 11
With no math teachers for a year now, secondary students of Wokha Government Higher Secondary School, one of the largest government schools in Nagaland, are going through trying times. According to sources from Wokha one SK Paul, a math teacher who was transferred to Wokha from Government High School, Purana Bazar Dimapur, in March 2005 has still yet to show up and join the institution.
SK Paul was expected to join in March but the school is still yet to see him, according to teachers and authorities at GHSSW. In his place was transferred Loyibeni Odyuo, who has already joined Purana Bazar Government High School while SK Paul remains absent. Sources said SK Paul was lobbying, with political backing, to be retransferred to his old school adding that that he was being ‘shielded’ by certain politicians. His absence has left Class IX and Class X mathematics students struggling with the course all on their own. Staffers said secondary students enrollment in the school being more than thousands, the higher classes were initially planned to be divided into 3 sections with 90 students in each. However due to shortage of math teachers, this could not be made so.
The Education Department, Kohima also issued an order asking the errant teacher to immediately join GHSSW but the teacher did not comply, sources said adding that the Principal of GHSSW, Amos Ovung had also written to both the errant teacher as well as competent authorities but any concrete response is still yet to emerge.
Taking strong exception, the Lotha Students Union took up the matter and asked the teacher to report to the organizations office by November 17, 2005. However, he did not turn up, said LSU leaders. Evidently peeved at the conduct of the ‘defiant’ math teacher, the LSU in November 2005 shot off a memorandum to the Education department demanding immediate termination of SK Paul from service and replacing him with a competent teacher. However the Director reportedly refused to take action. In this regard the LSU has decided on stern measures to resolve the issue. According to LSU General Secretary Nzan Yanthan the students are even ready to the extent of boycotting exams if the government failed to respond. “We are ready to do anything if the government and the concerned department fail to heed to the demands of the students” he said. Charles Lotha Auditor General of the NSF also took strong resentment at the “victimization” of the students by an incompetent teacher and sought his immediate termination from service. Expressing strong resentment over what it termed as indifferent attitude of the Education Department the LSU maintained full conviction that the department had not acted on the assurances. While affirming its commitment to work for students’ welfare the influential students’ body has sought immediate clarification from the department and sternly warned of severe repercussions in the event of the department’s failure to resolve the issue for which the education department would be held solely responsible.
