Lotha Middle Range Students' Union shuts government schools in Wokha over prolonged teacher shortage at GHSS Sungro
WOKHA — The Lotha Middle Range Students' Union (LMRSU) on Monday resumed its agitation over the prolonged shortage of teachers at Government Higher Secondary School (GHSS), Sungro, ordering the closure of all government schools under its jurisdiction and the office of the Sub-Divisional Education Officer (SDEO), Sanis, with immediate effect.
The shutdown comes after the union alleged that the department of School Education had failed to act on repeated representations and a 48-hour ultimatum served on November 3, seeking a written assurance to address the staffing crisis.
Addressing a press conference at Sanis, LMRSU president Rhonbemo Murry said the union had been pursuing the matter since March 2025, when an inspection revealed an acute shortage of teaching staff in schools under its jurisdiction. Despite subsequent memoranda, representations and ultimatums, the department had allegedly failed to take concrete action, offering only verbal assurances.
At the centre of the agitation is GHSS Sungro, which has 153 students from Classes VI to XII and caters to seven villages under the Sungro Range. The institution is among the highest-enrolled government higher secondary schools in Wokha district, next to GHSS Wokha.
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According to the union, the school requires additional postgraduate and graduate teachers in several subjects, including English and Hindi, besides adequate staffing in the higher secondary section. It has also demanded the retention of key teaching posts and appointment of non-teaching personnel, including a lower division assistant-cum-upper division assistant (LDA-cum-UDA) and a science laboratory attendant.
Murry said that the shortage had severely affected classroom teaching, with several subjects being handled irregularly due to inadequate manpower. While acknowledging the difficulty in appointing qualified Lotha language teachers, he maintained that the crisis extended beyond language instruction and affected the overall functioning of the institution.
The union expressed dissatisfaction with the government's recent assurance of interim arrangements, reiterating that temporary deployments would not provide a lasting solution. It maintained that permanent appointments were necessary to ensure continuity in teaching and safeguard students' academic interests.
The LMRSU warned that it could intensify the agitation through a third phase if the department failed to address its demands. Possible measures include extending the shutdown to private schools and imposing restrictions on vehicular movement across the Middle Range area.
However, Murry clarified that the union remained open to dialogue and expected the department to take tangible steps to resolve the matter.
Separately, the union raised concerns over the alleged non-implementation of transfer orders at Government Primary School, Pangti Sector A. It claimed that two teachers transferred to the school through an order issued in August were yet to join despite the reported shortage of teaching personnel in the area.
The union maintained that the agitation would continue until the department addressed the shortage of teaching and non-teaching staff at GHSS Sungro and ensured that students' academic activities were not further disrupted.