Government High School (GHS), at Ighanumi village, which also bagged the best government school in Zunheboto district– is facing a major crisis as the landowner/s had allegedly locked the classrooms on January 4 reportedly over a Grade-IV employment issue.
Informing this to media here on Sunday, Ighanumi Village Council chairman Kihoyi Swu, GB Kihoto Zhimomi, School Management Development Committee secretary Lovito Swu and Ighanumi Students’ Union president Kaqheto Zhimo also appealed to authorities concerned to address the issue at the earliest.
According Kihoto Zhimomi, prior to the functioning of the new high school building in 2010, it was reportedly agreed upon to “prioritise Grade-IV post (one) to the landowners”. However, he said the School Education department appointed a carpentry helper in 2016 after his predecessor’s retirement in 2015. GHS Ighanumi was named as the best government school in Zunheboto district based on its HSLC result for the last six consecutive years.
On the other hand, Swu said the landowner had been appealing to the department concerned since last year in the presence of village GB, students’ union, village and others to resolve the issue and warned of locking the school by January 4, 2020 if the demand was not met. The landowner/s had even submitted a representation to Pughoboto SDEO in February and to Zunheboto DEO on a different date without any outcome. Swu said students were now facing hardship since the time classes resumed on February 12 and functioning at the old school building that lacked proper furniture.
He said the school authority was unable to submit the documents required by Nagaland Board of Secondary Education for students’ scholarship as the office rooms had been locked.
Voicing concern over the issue, Ighanumi Students Union president appealed to the department concerned to address the issue at the earliest as the students were facing problem. He informed newsmen that the student body used to run hostels for matric candidates free of cost for three months before the HSLC exam and making sincere efforts to produce good results.
Pointing out that the school was running without language teacher, mathematics teacher, computer assistant, LDC, cook, sweeper and night chowkidar, the village members said the school had so far enrolled more than 80 students, adding the enrolment was likely to increase in the coming days. They appealed to the authority concerned to address the issue at the earliest for the sake of the student community.