Ao Kaketshir Mungdang flags teacher imbalance in government schools

MOKOCHUNG — The Ao Kaketshir Mungdang (AKM) or Ao Students’ Conference has raised serious concerns about the uneven distribution of teachers in government schools across the Ongpangkong range, following its fifth- phase inspection conducted from July 14 to the 18th.

The inspection, covering 58 schools under the Sub-Divisional Education Officer (SDEO), Ongpangkong range, revealed critical shortages of subject teachers in some schools  while other have excess teachers, hindering effective education delivery.

AKM President Lanutshi Aier and Education Secretary Lanulemba Longchar highlighted that while some schools, particularly in rural areas, face acute shortages of teachers, others, mainly are overstaffed.

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The AKM revealed that out of the 58 schools inspected, 29 were found to have surplus teachers.

“This imbalance creates a crisis in teaching and learning,” AKM stated, while citing a head teachers’ (HTs) report on challenges faced due to uneven teacher deployment.

For instance, the mungdang stated that a teacher transferred to an urban school was not accepted due to excess staff by the head teacher.

Notable cases include GMS Aliba, which has been without a Mathematics teacher for eight classrooms since 2016, despite repeated appeals from the School Management Committee to the Department of School Education.

Similarly, GMS Mokokchung Town is grappling without an English teacher, further exacerbating the learning crisis.

The AKM also highlighted the disparity in teacher allocation, citing a high school with 30 staff and a primary school with 16 teachers, and urged authorities to review staffing to ensure balanced distribution and better learning outcomes.

Additionally, the student body urged immediate intervention from the Department of Education to address these disparities by implementing equitable teacher deployment to ensure quality education, especially in rural areas.

It also informed that a comprehensive report will be released after all schools have been inspected. The report will include the total number of teachers, student enrolment, teacher shortages, excess postings, and their related grievances, based on which necessary actions will be initiated.

Furthermore, the AKM has issued a strict notice to schools, rejecting the use of substitute and proxy teachers. It warned that schools found violating this will face severe consequences and disciplinary action.