Government may shift Government High School Longkhum to Alichen amid closure and dispute, says Advisor Kekhrielhoulie Yhome, citing impact on students and resources.
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KOHIMA — The state government may shift Government High School (GHS), Longkhum to Alichen if the ongoing standoff with the local community continues, Advisor for School Education and SCERT, Dr Kekhrielhoulie Yhome said on Tuesday.
The school in Mokokchung district has remained closed for nearly two months, affecting around 50 students, amid a dispute over demands to regularise Grade-IV appointments linked to earlier land donations.
“If the village decides that they don’t need the school, we as the state government have no choice. We cannot do much about that,” Yhome said while interacting with media persons in Kohima.
He said the demand to make such appointments permanent has led to the present situation.
“Now what they are demanding is that it should become a permanent thing as far as all these Grade-IV appointments are concerned. Accordingly, they have closed down their school,” he stated.
Yhome noted that several schools in Nagaland, including GHS Longkhum, were established through community participation, often involving land contributions tied to such appointments, but said these arrangements cannot be treated as perpetual entitlements.
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Terming the matter as ‘legacy issues,’ he added that if the impasse continues, the government would be compelled to withdraw teachers posted at the school.
“Our teachers are there doing nothing. From an economic point of view, we cannot sustain that,” he said.
Pointing to changing ground realities, he said improved road connectivity has altered educational planning and identified Alichen as a more viable centre.
“For instance, Alichen definitely needs a major higher secondary. So we are also giving the option that if Longkhum does not want to keep their school, then we will shift to Alichen where it will cater to more villages,” he said, adding that the matter is under discussion.
He, however, acknowledged the immediate concern and said efforts must ensure that students are not affected.
Yhome also referred to broader constraints in the education sector, noting that Nagaland continues to face financial pressures following changes in funding patterns after the 9th Finance Commission.
NBSE glitch ‘very serious’
On a separate issue, the department termed the premature declaration of Nagaland Board of School Education (NBSE) results a “very serious issue,” attributing it to a technical lapse.
Commissioner and Secretary for School Education, Kevileno Angami, said the results were released a day ahead of schedule due to an error in timer settings.
“Yes, we admit it is a technical glitch. But we have also taken stock of why this has happened,” she said.
“What we were informed was that it was because of the setting of the timer. This should not have happened, and we are ensuring that this does not occur again in the future,” she added.