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DIMAPUR, APRIL 30 (EMN) — Government schools and colleges in Nagaland have long been considered a ‘last resort’ for education due to several reasons.
A number of factors including shortage of subject teachers, proxy teaching, inadequate infrastructure and lax administration have all contributed to lower performance in board exams, compared to private institutions. This has led many parents, apart from the economically weaker section, to opt for private schools for their children’s education.
However, a positive shift has been witnessed of late with some government institutions consistently delivering good academic results. This improvement has prompted parents and students to reconsider government schools and colleges for studies.
This year's Higher Secondary School Leaving Certificate (HSSLC) examination result was another proof of government schools making significant strides, as 2,994 students out of the total 3,706 who appeared for the exam cleared it, registering an overall pass percentage of 80.79%.
Besides that, government schools produced three toppers in the Arts stream this year.
Biseli Sangtam of Mayangnokcha Govt. Hr. Sec. School in Mokokchung district and Ilamguale A Zeliang from Govt. Hr. Sec. School, Chümoukedima, stood in the 5th rank, while Chujai P of Bautüng Govt. Hr. Sec. School (BGHSS) in Longleng district secured the 8th rank in the HSSLC 2024 merit list.
Speaking to Eastern Mirror, Biseli Sangtam revealed that his poor performance in HSLC exam motivated him to study harder this time, and it paid dividends. Staying in a rented house while preparing for his exam, he said that he increased study time to 7 hours during the examination days.
With Economics as his major subject, the 5th rank holder said that he would like to pursue his degree course at St. Joseph College, Jakhama.
Biseli, who aspires to become an IAS officer, has three sisters and his father is the pastor at his native village of Chungliyimti in Tuensang district.
He encouraged his peers to "keep hustling in your endeavours, be optimistic and actively seek growth opportunities. Embrace collaboration with peers and mentors to enrich learning experiences”.
To juniors, he emphasised the importance of spiritual grounding through prayer, coupled with determination, hard work, and reverence for teachers and parents. “These qualities will help you succeed in life,” he added.
Lipokienla, the principal of Mayangnokcha Govt. Hr. Sec. School, expressed immense pride in Biseli’s achievement, terming it as a “classic example of hard work paying off”.
Biseli’s class teacher Imyatetla commended his unwavering focus and discipline, citing his good attendance and his role as the class monitor.
The school principal also shed light on the challenges faced by the institution, saying that despite having one of the highest enrollments among government schools in the state, it operates without a vice principal.
Furthermore, the school grapples with a shortage of English post-graduate teachers (PGTs), compelling five teachers to handle both English and Alternative English subjects across all three streams (Arts, Commerce and Science) encompassing nine sections.
With Mokokchung being the headquarters of the Ao Naga tribe, the school faces inadequacy with only one language teacher dedicated to the secondary section, as over half of the students choose Ao as their language elective.
Ilamguale A Zeliang jointly shared the 5th position in the HSSLC merit list along with two other students, including Biseli Sangtam, with a score 95.60% mark. She was also a rank holder (top 16) in the HSLC exam from Saint Savio High School.
Political Science and Sociology being her favourite subjects, she plans to take up Political Science as major at Tetso College. After graduation, she wants to write competitive exams.
Daughter of a retired army personnel, Ilamguale shared that she decided to study at Govt. Hr. Sec. School, Chümoukedima after matriculation because of the good reputation the school has earned over the years.
Her class teacher Sentimenla recalled that she was sincere and attentive in class and kept the teachers on their toes with questions.
Principal of the school, Karen Yepthomi shared her happiness over the 100% percent pass percentage achieved by the school in this year’s HSSLC, along with a topper.
“The school, like most government schools, caters to students from the economically challenged sections of society and therefore it may be considered an amazing feat to witness the school performance in the HSSLC where 100 percent of the students passed in first and second divisions only,” she said.
The principal also shared that the increasing number of enrolment in the school is causing problem due to shortage of classrooms. Lamenting that the school building is near collapse, she also said that the recently introduced Science stream still awaits a laboratory.
Yepthomi further disclosed that the college is in talks with Tetso College to provide free education to Ilamguale to help her realise her dreams of becoming an IAS officer.
Chujai P scripted history for BGHSS Longleng after becoming the first rank holder from the school in the HSSLC exam. With a score of 94.40% (8th rank) in the HSSLC exam, she is also the subject topper in Beauty and Wellness Vocational subject.
English being her favourite subject, she aspires to become an English professor one day. The youngest among six siblings, her father passed away in 2019 and her mother is a retired government servant.
Her class teacher N Ngamba Phom described Chujai was a dedicated, calm, quiet and disciplined student who was always eager to participate in extra-curricular activities.
The vice principal of the school, Longthai Angh, expressed his happiness over the achievement, saying that she is the first from the school to make it to the merit list.
On grievances faced by the school, Angh highlighted shortage of teachers in secondary sections. “BGHSS is the only government higher secondary school in the whole of Longleng district. Therefore, we are compelled to take and accept huge number of students, especially in Class 11, leading to overcrowded class rooms,” he said, adding that the Science stream is running without any practical labs.