1,274 teachers reassigned, 290 retained, 70 redeployed, 16 deleted
The Department of School Education (DoSE) has issued a fresh notification on August 20, 2025, announcing a review of the rationalization of teachers across Nagaland, superseding earlier orders that had thrown the system into disarray.
The notification, issued “in the interest of public service” and in compliance with the Cabinet decision of February 25, 2025, states: 1,274 teachers assigned to new postings (Annexure-A), 290 teachers retained in current positions (Annexure-B), 70 teachers redeployed (Annexure-C) and 16 teachers slated for deletion (Annexure-D).
Teachers must report to their new assignments within seven days, failing which their salaries will be withheld. The notification also bars TA/DA claims and explicitly states that requests for change of posting will not be entertained. All DEOs, Senior SDEOs, and SDEOs have been directed to submit release orders and joining reports to the department within 15 days.
The move, according to the government, is being carried out “in the interest of public service” and has received final approval of the Cabinet through its Minutes No. CAB-1/14/2023 dated August 19, 2025. This was issued by Principal Director of School Education, Shashank Pratap Singh.
This “review” follows the DoSE’s earlier rationalization orders of February 6 and 10, which had redeployed nearly 1,650 teachers—including mathematics, science, Hindi, and primary-level educators. Those orders were suspended on February 17 “in the interest of public service” after widespread backlash from student unions and school heads, who accused the department of arbitrary transfers and ignoring ground realities.
As reported earlier by this newspaper, a high-level review committee was constituted on April 8, but as of mid-August, no report has been made public and no progress has been announced. Meanwhile, more than half of the teachers affected by the February orders had already joined new postings, leaving many schools in limbo.
As Mokokchung Times has reported over recent months, the unresolved deployment crisis has had severe consequences on government schools. Some cases documented include: A retired teacher assigned to Government Primary School Khongka; Villages in rural Mokokchung left without mathematics and science teachers; A shocking case in Peren district, where a carpenter was reportedly teaching science and a chowkidar handling English at Government High School, Nsong. With no headmaster and no qualified staff, Nsong village shut down the school on August 12 demanding urgent intervention.
Student bodies including the Ao Students’ Conference (AKM), Lotha Students’ Union (LSU), Khiamniungan Students’ Union (KSU), and the Eastern Naga Students’ Federation (ENSF) have repeatedly condemned the process as arbitrary, poorly planned, and insensitive to ground realities.
The latest notification, while seeking to enforce discipline through salary and reporting measures, is unlikely to quell unrest unless accompanied by clear planning and transparency. For communities that have already seen their schools disrupted or shuttered, the credibility of the government’s rationalization process now hangs on whether this order will finally resolve the shortages or further deepen the crisis.
