Government High School (GHS) Longkhum has remained shut for 59 days since February 27, 2026, with no resolution in sight to the dispute over the appointment of Multi Tasking Staff (MTS), forcing over 50 students to continue their education in makeshift and inadequate spaces.
With the school still non-functional, AKM highlighted the conditions under which students are currently attending classes. With the high school non-functional, classes are being conducted in inadequate settings, including at a teacher’s residence, with some sessions reportedly held in a kitchen. It stated that such arrangements are not conducive to effective learning and raise concerns over the quality and dignity of education.
Attempts to shift classes to a nearby primary school have also failed, as the classrooms are too small to accommodate high school students, leading to overcrowding and discomfort.
The Longkhum Students’ Union (LSU) has now sought urgent intervention from the Directorate of School Education, stating that the prolonged closure has caused “immense hardships” and severely disrupted academic progress. It said students have been deprived of their “regular and ideal classroom environment,” while parents face growing anxiety over their children’s future.
Earlier, the Ao Kaketshir Mungdang (AKM) had also appealed to the Deputy Commissioner, Mokokchung, to step in and facilitate a resolution. The AKM described the ongoing situation as one that has brought learning to a standstill and denied students their right to a proper and structured education.
The closure stems from a dispute with landowners, who halted the functioning of the school following disagreements over the appointment of grade-IV staff. The issue traces back to a long-standing understanding that such posts would be allotted to families who had donated land for the school in 1961. However, after the retirement of existing staff in 2023, the government moved to fill the posts through open recruitment, triggering the present standoff.
Despite the matter being taken up by the district administration and the Department of School Education, and multiple rounds of intervention by stakeholders, no breakthrough has been reported so far.
Nearly two months into the closure, students remain without access to proper classrooms, raising serious concerns over the continued disruption of education and the absence of a time-bound resolution to the crisis.