AKM officials along with resource persons and students from
12 Arju centres in Mokokchung district during the three-day Arju Camp 2025.
- MOKOKCHUNG — A
three-day ‘Arju Camp 2025,’ an initiative of the Ao Students’ Conference (AKM)
under the aegis of Samagra Shiksha Nagaland, got underway at Watsü Women Resource
Centre in Marepkong, Mokokchung.
- Running from March 12 to the 14th, the camp brought together
over 100 students from 12 Arju centres across Mokokchung district.
- The Arju Camp aims to blend vocational training, cultural
immersion and discussions on safeguarding Ao language and traditions, besides
serving as a platform to equip students with practical skills and a deeper
appreciation of their heritage.
- During the opening session, AKM president, Lanutoshi Aier,
emphasised the importance of the Arju Centre—a modern take on the traditional
Morung concept of education.
- Launched in October 2022 as part of an innovative initiative
by the Ministry of Education, Government of India, the centres operate under
Samagra Shiksha Nagaland. Twelve Arju centres are currently active in
Mokokchung, with one in each of two villages across the six ranges of the Ao
region. They provide remedial classes in Mathematics, Science, English, Hindi
and local languages, alongside community service, sports and extracurricular
activities like kitchen gardening and waste segregation.
- Designed for students from government schools and dropouts
in rural Mokokchung, the Morung-inspired centres offer alternative learning
spaces. Beyond academics, they impart traditional knowledge, arts and crafts,
soft skills, social etiquette and life skills.
- Training included reading and speaking skills, basic music
concepts, games, sports, digital literacy and financial literacy—aiming to
empower individuals, reduce vulnerability and foster economic growth through
practical skill development.
- Aier noted that Nagaland hosts four Morung centres namely in
Phek, Mokokchung, and Tuensang—with Mokokchung’s Arju centre standing out as
one of the most active and high-performing, according to reports.
