Our Correspondent
Kohima | September 1
Nagaland Chief Minister Dr. Neiphiu Rio today informed that Government schools in Nagaland currently have a Pupil-Teacher Ratio of 7:1, compared with the All-India Pupil –Teacher of 24:1 and the NEP 2020 benchmark of under 30:1.
Replying this to MLA, A Nyamnyei Konyak in starred question at the 9th session of the 14th Nagaland Legislative Assembly here today, Dr. Rio stated that this indicates that the state does not face an overall shortage of teachers in terms of the student-teacher ratio, although requirements may vary from school to school.
He further informed that, following the school rationalisation process, the number of Government schools has been reduced from 1,939 to 1,881.
Of these, 359 schools have fewer than 10 students and 819 have fewer than 25 students.
He stated that the standard staffing pattern is applicable to schools with more than 25 students; “therefore, it would not be appropriate to mechanically assign the minimum staffing pattern to schools with only two or three students.”
Responding to concerns raised by the MLA that the rationalisation process, if uniformly implemented across districts, could adversely affect educationally backward and difficult areas, Dr. Rio assured that the Government would undertake further reassessment and readjustment, particularly in difficult and remote areas, to ensure that the rationalisation process does not adversely affect access to education.
Teacher vacancies in govt schools
Regarding district wise details of teacher vacancies in various categories of Nagaland govt. Schools (GPS, GMS, GHS, GHSS etc), Dr. Rio stated that the number of teacher vacancies in various categories of Govt schools cannot be determined by a fixed Educational Block Resource Centre- wise of district–wise quota.
He stated that teacher requirements are determined on school specific demand and need basic, in accordance with the Standard Staffing Pattern for Teachers notified on 28th March 2022 and the applicable Pupil-Teacher Ratio (PTR), subject to student enrolment.
Accordingly, Dr. Rio stated, there is no single fixed figure for total teacher vacancies that can be posted across Nagaland at any given time.
Recruitment is undertaken as and when vacancies arise and according to actual demand, exigency and contingency requirements.
At present, the recruitment position includes: 70 PGT posts and NPSC has recently conducted the written examination and the result is awaited.
182 posts under process for NPSC requisition comprising 32 PGTs, 50 Graduate Teachers (Maths), 50 Graduate Teachers (Science), and 50 Graduate Teachers (Hindi).
These are awaiting PIMS clearance, after which open advertisement is expected to follow.
22 previously sanctioned teacher vacancies remain unfilled despite repeated recruitment cycles, including 4 posts reserved for PwDs, 17 reserved posts and 1 open post.
“Some of these posts were advertised by NPSC as early as 2016. Therefore, the appropriate answer to "how many teacher vacancy posts are there in Nagaland?" is that vacancies are not fixed district-wise; they are determined school-by-school based on enrolment, the prescribed staffing pattern and actual need. The posts currently at various stages of recruitment should also be distinguished from posts that may arise subsequently based on demand and vacancies,” DR. Rio stated in written reply.
