The Office of the Sub-Divisional Education Officer (SDEO) in Sanis, Nagaland, which was shut down alongside government schools by the Lotha Middle Range Students’ Union (LMRSU) during the second phase of their agitation over staff shortages at GHSS Sungro.
LMRSU shuts government schools, SDEO office in 2nd phase of Sungro agitation
Morung Express News
Wokha | November 9
The Department of School Education has decided to post three teachers at Government Higher Secondary School (GHSS), Sungro, following an agitation by the Lotha Middle Range Students’ Union (LMRSU) over staff shortages. However, the decisions fall short of several demands raised by the Union, which has announced the closure of government schools under its jurisdiction and the Office of the Sub-Divisional Education Officer (SDEO), Sanis, until further notice.
According to the minutes of a meeting held on November 9 in the chamber of the Principal Director of School Education, one Post Graduate Teacher (PGT) in Political Science will be posted at GHSS Sungro "against maternity leave as a stop-gap arrangement at the earliest." The PGT in English is scheduled to rejoin the school on November 10 after completing her maternity leave.
The meeting, chaired by Principal Director of School Education Shashank Pratap Singh, IAS, also decided that "one (1) Graduate Teacher (General) shall be posted at GHSS, Sungro, during the forthcoming rationalization of teachers." The school principal was further directed to "assign duties and responsibilities to all the teaching staff as per the Nagaland School Education Service Rules, 2017."
The meeting was attended by Director of School Education Razouseyi Vese, Additional Director Deenabandhu Panda, Under Secretary Yitsuchu Trakha, Senior SDEO, Wokha, Nchumbemo Jami, Principal of GHSS Sungro R Mhonlumi Yanthan and Secretariat Assistant K R Vizo.
The government meeting coincided with the second phase of LMRSU's agitation. Addressing a press conference at Sanis, Union president Rhonbemo Murry said the closure of government schools under its jurisdiction and the SDEO office followed repeated representations and ultimatums to the department without a satisfactory response.
The agitation was initially launched on November 2 by students, village councils and civil society organisations (CSOs) under the Sungro Range. Their demands included two PGTs, two Graduate Teachers (GTs), two primary teachers, one Lower Division Assistant-cum-Upper Division Assistant (LDA-cum-UDA), one science laboratory attendant and retention of the Graduate Mathematics teacher post.
The organisations had said the shortage of subject teachers had disrupted classes and delayed syllabus completion, particularly affecting students preparing for board examinations. GHSS Sungro caters to seven villages and has 153 students from Classes VI to XII.
Murry said LMRSU first identified the shortage during its unit tour from March 4 to 6, 2025, and submitted its first representation to the Principal Director on March 28, followed by a memorandum on May 19. After receiving no satisfactory response, it held a press conference and served a seven-day ultimatum in August 2025.
Although verbal assurances from higher authorities prompted the Union to temporarily suspend its agitation, Murry said no concrete action followed. The Union subsequently held another press conference on November 3, 2026, and served a 48-hour ultimatum seeking written assurance from the department.
He said the Union was informed that teachers would be posted to the higher secondary section, but no written commitment was given, prompting the resumption of the agitation on November 9.
According to Murry, GHSS Sungro has five PGTs, of whom two are on maternity leave. While acknowledging their entitlement to leave, he said the resulting shortage had left some subjects without regular classes. He also questioned the distribution of teachers, claiming that some schools with only six or seven students had around 20 teachers, and called for rationalisation based on enrolment and staffing requirements.
The Union's demands include one English GT and three general GTs for Classes VI to X, five PGTs for the higher secondary section and one Graduate Hindi Teacher. Murry said at least two additional PGTs would make the situation more manageable.
On the demand for a Lotha language teacher, he acknowledged the difficulty of finding a qualified graduate teacher in the subject but said this should not overshadow shortages in other subjects. He added that a Hindi teacher at the school had started teaching Lotha, although a separate graduate teacher was still required.
Murry also expressed dissatisfaction with the interim arrangement reportedly assured by Advisor for School Education and SCERT Dr Kekhrielhoulie Yhome, stating that the shortage involved several subjects and not merely language teachers. The Union also opposed temporary appointments, maintaining that permanent teachers were necessary for continuity in academic activities.
Despite its grievances over the department's response, Murry said LMRSU remained open to dialogue and negotiation on some demands, while maintaining that others were non-negotiable.
He warned that failure to provide written assurance by November 10 could trigger a third phase of agitation, potentially involving the closure of private schools and restrictions on vehicular movement across the Middle Range, in coordination with CSOs.
Apart from GHSS Sungro, LMRSU raised concerns over teacher deployment at Government Primary School (GPS), Pangti Sector A, which has 30 students and six teachers. Murry said two teachers transferred to the school through a department order dated August 18, 2026, continued serving at Government Middle School due to ambiguity in the order, which mentioned only Pangti.
He said the Union had submitted a representation to the Director last month, but the matter remained unresolved. LMRSU appealed to the Department of School Education to address both the staffing shortage at GHSS Sungro and the deployment issue at Pangti.
