Tzurangkong organizations decide to take joint action until demands fulfilled
Disappointed by the lack of teachers in Tzürangkong range government schools and the lack of a positive response from the Department of School Education, Nagaland to their May 10 protest demanding sufficient government school teachers, the Tzürangkong Students’ Conference (TKM) initiated a joint meeting along with the Tzürangkong Senso Mungdang, Tzürangkong Watsü Mungdang, School Management and Development Committee from all affected villages, its senior executive members, and parent body, at Chungtiayimsen Tatar Salang today, where they unanimously decided to take joint actions until their “demand for sufficient teachers in all schools” is met.
The meeting focused on the “imbalanced distribution of teachers” in Nagaland government schools where they shared that some schools have excess teachers that they don’t know their own colleagues, while others are eagerly awaiting the arrival of a new teacher.
According to them, the government schools in the Tzürangkong range of Mokokchung District have far fewer teachers than classrooms.
They asserted that despite frequently speaking up about the urgent need for enough teachers, led by the range’s apex student body -the TKM, teachers, local students’ bodies and students, their voices have been disregarded and that the schools have “yet to see the light of day.”
It may be noted that on May 10 this year, the schools in the range led by TKM, the apex student body, staged a demonstration demanding adequate teachers in the schools. They claim that “despite the rationalization orders were passed to them on papers,” the teachers have not yet turned in their joining reports.
“We are yet to see a new teacher with their joining report,” they said. They even asserted that some of the teachers from the range had actually transferred to other places even after the May 10 protest.
Imlisunep Longkumer, president of the TKM, said: “The TKM has been tirelessly working at all levels with the higher authorities, but the outcome has been quite disheartening up to this point.”
The president shared his skeptism that perhaps, some representatives from the Department of School Education may be under the influence of political figures and claimed that this contributes to the teacher shortage. According to him, these issues should be left up to the department’s highly knowledgeable designated officials to handle as they see fit.
The meeting today concluded with all groups agreeing to work together to fight for the community’s cause and to ensure that quality teachers and learning are provided in all schools within the Tzürangkong range.