Students of GHSS Sungro stage a protest against the shortage of teachers, holding placards demanding immediate intervention from the authorities during an indefinite agitation launched by Sungro Range students and community organisations on November 2.
Sungro Range launches indefinite agitation over teacher shortage at GHSS Sungro
Morung Express News
Wokha | November 2
Students and community organisations of Sungro Range on November 2 launched an indefinite agitation and sealed Government Higher Secaondary School (GHSS), Sungro, demanding immediate appointment of teachers and non-teaching staff to address the prolonged manpower shortage at the institution.
The protest witnessed the participation of student bodies and village councils from Pangti, Okotso, Sungro, Old and New Aree, Yanthamo and Asha villages.
Addressing the gathering, Pangti Village Students’ Union (PVSU) President Bonao Lotha and other representatives expressed resentment over the continued shortage of staff, alleging that repeated appeals to the government and concerned department had failed to yield any concrete response.
According to the student bodies, several teaching positions have remained vacant since 2022 following the retirement and demise of teachers, without any replacement appointments. They pointed out that the school has been functioning without language teachers, a physical education teacher and a lower division assistant (LDA).
They also highlighted the shortage of teachers in the lower section, stating that only one mathematics teacher is currently handling classes after another teacher was transferred without a replacement. The situation, they added, has been further aggravated by teachers proceeding on maternity leave without substitute arrangements.
The organisations said they had submitted several representations and grievances to the concerned authorities and had also served an ultimatum seeking intervention. However, despite verbal assurances that the matter would be addressed, they alleged that the department’s order issued on October 29 did not include any teacher for GHSS Sungro.
The student leaders said the shortage had severely affected the academic progress of students, with some appearing for examinations without completing their prescribed syllabus. They added that students had been studying without language teachers since 2022, besides facing a shortage of teachers in environmental education and other subjects.
Questioning the prolonged delay in addressing the issue, the organisations demanded immediate corrective measures, including appropriate academic consideration for subjects in which students had been left without teachers.
PVSU President Bonao Lotha acknowledged that the agitation had come at a time when examinations were approaching but maintained that the community had been left with little choice. He observed that the school had already been functioning under difficult academic conditions due to the absence of teachers in several subjects, adding that the closure during the agitation would make little difference to a situation where normal academic activities were already affected.
Penthungo, Secretary of Okotso Village Development Board (VDB), appealed to the authorities to take the matter seriously, stating that students were the future of society and that their education should not be compromised.
Meanwhile, Pangti Village Council chairman Zanbemo W. Kithan said the issue had been raised repeatedly with the authorities. He described GHSS Sungro as an important educational institution serving the entire range, with one of the highest student enrolments in the district after GHSS Wokha.
He recalled that the school had maintained good enrolment and academic performance over the years but expressed concern over the lack of adequate staffing. He also questioned the disparity in staff allocation, alleging that some government schools with comparatively lower enrolment had sufficient teachers while GHSS Sungro continued to face shortages.
The joint organisations maintained that the agitation would continue and the school would remain sealed until the department provided a written assurance and fulfilled their demand for adequate teaching and non-teaching staff.
