Investing in Education

With the Nagaland Board of School Education (NBSE) set to declare the provisional results of the High School Leaving Certificate (HSLC) and Higher Secondary School Leaving Certificate (HSSLC) examinations 2025 on Thursday (April 25), thousands of students from the state have to make two important decisions – choosing the right course and the college. It's important because the decisions they make today can make all the difference to their career in the future. While the state has enough and more schools that offer various streams -- Science, Commerce, and Arts -- in pre-university, the same can’t be said for higher studies, particularly professional courses. This is evident from the fact that the state has only one functional medical college -- Nagaland Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (NIMSR). While a similar institute – Mon Medical College – is expected to start offering courses in medicine in a year or two, the state has a long way to go in the education sector, still far behind other states, including the neighbouring states of Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, etc. As per the data provided by the department of Higher Education in the annual administrative report 2024-25, Nagaland has a total of 94 higher education institutions, including five universities, 71 colleges (54 private and 17 government) affiliated with Nagaland University, three private law colleges, one National Institute of Technology, and one school of nursing. This data speaks volumes about the state’s position in the education sector.

Every year, hundreds of students from the state are forced to seek admission in other states due to a lack of educational institutes that offer professional courses, particularly in the fields of medicine, engineering, and management. This means hundreds of families have to spend lakhs of rupees for educational expenses of their children, while students from poor families who can’t afford to pay high tuition fees and living costs in cities will have to forego their dreams. It either affects the economy of the state or kills dreams. That’s the price the state has to pay for not paying attention to the educational needs of the young minds. If there is one single most important investment a country, state, society, or family can make, it has to be education. Churachandpur district of Manipur is currently reaping the fruit of its commitment towards providing quality education, which is evident from the growing success of students in competitive exams over the years. We can learn a lesson or two from Churachandpur – value learning and provide a supportive environment for students. It’s time Nagaland bring more professional colleges closer home for students.