A decade of teaching in the remote hills of Kiphire

National Teacher Awardee shares 24-year journey experience

Vishü Rita Krocha 
Kohima | September 8

Set against rugged mountainous terrain near the international border of Myanmar, Pungro is where Rokosekho Ronald Meru spent a decade teaching students from Kiphire— one of the remotest districts in Nagaland.

When he was transferred to Government Higher Secondary School (GHSS) Pungro as a post graduate teacher on July 7, 2014—a date he still vividly remembers without any effort—he moved there with his entire family including his wife and three daughters without any hesitation.

Then came the remarks: “When parents are sending their children to study in places like Kohima and Dimapur, why are you keeping them here?” But for him, there was nothing more important than laying a strong foundation for his children regardless of where they are raised.

This is the same passion and determination with which he also teaches students wherever he is placed. His calling as a teacher has never been confined to the classroom walls, but extends far beyond into community spaces, ensuring that his students do not just do well in class but are finding purpose and becoming a valuable asset to their families and communities. 

Given his student-centered teaching and deep community engagement, he was just recently conferred with the prestigious National Teachers’ Award 2026 by the President Droupadi Murmu at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, on Teachers’ Day (September 5, 2026). A sole educator recipient selected from the state of Nagaland this year, he was also previously awarded with District Teachers’ Award and State Teachers’ Award in 2018 and 2023 respectively.

“My father was a primary teacher. I come from a very humble family but my father’s example and his dedication inspired me,” he related to The Morung Express in an exclusive interview. Meru first joined the teaching profession on July 19, 2002 at Government Primary School in Khonoma, his native village. But even when he was transferred to Pungro, a completely new place for him where he had never been before, he still told himself: “As a government servant, I should go wherever I am posted.” He recollected that he and his colleague took along a map with them, navigating difficult, unpaved mountain roads for a journey that would start as early as 2:30 am when they first travelled to Kiphire.

Once at Pungro, he grew to love the place and its people, and also gave the best years of his life moulding and shaping young lives, bringing even the dropouts back to the fold, and making sure that even the naughtiest student was not neglected but became his best friend instead. 

Over the years, he also saw the struggles of the students especially given the lack of many resources. In Pungro, he said, “we had some students in classes 9-10, who are already married. Early marriage is not a new thing there.” Infrastructure is one major problem, he highlighted while pointing out that although it’s an old school, there is no proper toilet facilities or proper library. 

Many students, he further divulged, are from neighbouring villages such as Zanger, Salome, Phuvkiu and Mimi. These students, he shared, face daily challenges of fending and living by themselves- students have to cook by themselves, collect firewood and fetch water after school, and earn their daily wage during holidays. These circumstances also drew him to give his best in whatever way possible beyond his duty as a teacher. 

He further imparted his knowledge of woodwork as a master carpenter, equipped the students with skills, demonstrated how to use the machines and when not in the classroom, he was an uncle or an elder brother to them. When at Pungro, he also carved a wooden sign board, did repair works, and also built a staff room table with materials supplied by the school and recounts that he spent some good years in Pungro. “I have good memories of Pungro, a teacher cannot be there throughout, but I gave my best,” he put across.

In the year he joined, the school had just been upgraded and he saw the first batch passing out. When he was eventually transferred to Sechü-Zubza in January 2024, the GHSS had also just been upgraded from GHS in 2023 and saw another first batch of class 12 students breaking through.

In the course of his 24-year teaching journey, one of her daughters also secured top 7 in her HSSLC examination while another went on to become a subject topper.

As a teacher, he professed that it gives him the greatest joy to see his students succeed. “I am happiest when they are able to achieve something,” he articulated and also strongly feels that a teacher’s responsibility should not be confined to the classroom or that their greatest concern should just be covering the syllabus of a certain subject but extends far beyond the classrooms and building a purposeful life for students. 

He also encouraged every student to remember that it is not enough to pass. “Don’t be satisfied with pass mark or good marks but always strive to be best. Target to be the best,” he put across.