Yinchong, April 9 (MExN): A new school has begun classes in the remote Eastern Konyak area, established under the Mount Veda Peace Mission, an initiative of the NSCN (IM) collective leadership, bringing a ray of hope to children in one of the region’s most educationally deprived communities.
The Eastern Naga Living School, located in Chen Hoyat village, was constructed in November 2025 and inaugurated on February 27, 2026. Classes commenced on March 2, 2026, with children from multiple surrounding villages enrolling in the institution.
Chen Hoyat is a Naga village located in the Naga Self-Administered Zone (NSAZ) of the Sagaing Region in Myanmar. It is situated within the Eastern Konyak region.
On behalf of the Eastern Konyak Union (EKU) Advisory Board, EKU President PM Aman and General Secretary K Akham Honwang in a statement said that the school was built through the efforts of Atam Rungsung Chaplain and his colleagues under the Mount Veda Peace Mission, operating under the directive of the NSCN (IM) collective leadership.
The Eastern Konyak area has long suffered from acute educational deprivation, with children having little access to schooling due to the absence of adequate governmental development from either the state or any other agency. The EKU noted that prior to this initiative, no agency had come forward to address the educational needs of children in this remote and conflict-affected region.
The proposal for the school was formally placed before Gen (Retd) Anthony Ningkhan Shimray, former Longvibu and Coordinator of the Indo-Naga Peace Talks, on August 7, 2025, by the Eastern Konyak Union. Shimray agreed to the agenda and committed to establish the school, a gesture the EKU said is a reflection of an unbiased concern for the welfare of all Naga people regardless of political affiliation.
The school is seen as a tangible marker of the Mount Veda Peace Mission’s work in the Eastern Konyak area, where the Mission had been deployed amid factional tensions to restore peace among Naga National Workers and reduce public unrest. “The Eastern Konyak public valued the good wisdom and future vision work started by NSCN-IM,” the EKU stated.
The EKU has appealed to the NSCN (IM) leadership to continue supporting the school’s full development and sustainability, calling it an exemplary and enduring symbol of what peace-oriented development can achieve in neglected areas.
The Union also made a broader appeal to all Naga leaders to prioritise peace and development in the Eastern Naga area over conflict, noting that innocent civilians have borne the brunt of decades of inter-factional strife.
“The Eastern Konyak public appeal with humility to all Naga leaders to bring change in the Eastern Naga undeveloped and most deprived area through peace and development instead of inviting conflict and harassment over innocent people,” EKU said.
The union has extended gratitude to the NSCN (IM) collective leadership including President Q Tuccu, Vice President T Tongmeth Wangnao, Ato Kilonser Th Muivah, Deputy Ato Kilonser VS Atem, Lt Gen Honreishang Shadang (MSM, MC) and Gen (Retd) Anthony Ningkhan Shimray, Atam Rungsung Chaplain and the entire Mount Veda Peace Mission team, for their commitment to the welfare of the Eastern Konyak people.
