“There is lack of teaching faculties in the college where the students are present to learn but the teachers are missing. The students has been suffering from transportation, buses keeps breaking down due to the bad road conditions, and students do not reach classes on time due to improper road,” expresses a student at Sao Chang College Tuensang. The student further mentions that recently, about six teachers were transferred from the college but the replacement for them did not arrive.
“So, who is going teach and guide the students when there is no professor?” questions the student who preferred to speak on grounds of anonymity.
Sao Chang College has a total of 668 students. It has also been functioning without a Principal for over 4 years. According to the college website, it offers Undergraduate courses in English, Education, Economics, History, Political Science, Sociology, Botany, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics, Zoology and Environmental science.
For months, students as well as the Chang Wedoshi Setshang (CWS) has been voicing concerns and staging protests over the manifold problems the College struggles with, despite being one of the oldest colleges in Nagaland. The protest reached saturation point on October 12, when the CWS announced the indefinite shut down of the college, following the failure of the government to fulfill their demands. The demands included deployment of a principal, immediate allocation of college buses, upgradation of Science Laboratory, and the need for more teaching and non-teaching staff.
“The ignorance of the government is like ignoring the future generations!! Students are still struggling with the same problem as they were facing in the beginning putting the protest in vain! The principal is still not there. No changes in the faculty. No changes in the road conditions and no changes in the transportation. Students are not getting proper education due to lack of proffesor.Exam is just around the corner and the syllabus are still not over yet!” protests another student.
“When it comes to the government’s lackadaisical attitude, well, they’ve certainly added an unexpected twist to our educational journey. It’s as if they’ve taken procrastination to a whole new level. We’ve seen outdated textbooks, underpaid teachers, and infrastructure that’s stuck in a time warp. It’s like trying to run a high-speed race with a tortoise as your coach. Our education system is still playing catch-up with the 21st century while the world races ahead,” rues X, a student of Sao Chang College.
With the continuous nonchalance attitude of the Government, the students of Sao Chang College have evolved into a special breed. “We’re like the MacGyvers of education, finding creative ways to learn and adapt, armed with humor. We might not have all the resources we need, but we’ve got humor to keep us going,” quips X.
We will not have seen this situation, posited another student, if the government had already looked into our affairs and responded to our demands.
“As a student we protest inorder to make an open path for justice where injustice has been taken upon,” says the student.
Download Nagaland Tribune app on Google Play
Only Policies, No Action
“They only make policies. Every year new policies are made. But does our government provide proper infrastructure or facilities where students can travel with proper transportation? Do our students have new technology functioning in the institution? Do they have a place of environment where they can focus on the quality of education teaching and learning?” questions another student.
The Government focusing on developing new policies, states the Student, is the same Government turning its back against the struggles of the student.
The Reason why we lack behind
This is the reason why we lack behind, says another student. “As a concern student we must not remain blind seeing all the wrongs, yet pretend to not know, so that the coming generation does not face the same problem. We have smart and talented students, but there is no platform, starting from infrastructure to all the basic needs. It has a very negative impact. The lack of development make us even more backward as we cannot compete with others and there’s no new challenges in learning as we follow the old system,” asserts the student.
“As students, we should only be focusing on our studies and careers instead of wasting time on these protests but it has become a necessity for us to protest for these necessities and it matters a lot,” says another, lamenting over the fact that the transportation issues, and deplorable road conditions at Sao Chang College has been discouraging enough for the students.
The student advocates that these are issues the Government should prioritise.
“This is a failure from the Government’s side unable to provide the students with the stable environment they deserve. And hence it becomes necessary for us to fight for our career. We struggle today but it’s a step for change for our brothers and sisters who will step on pursuing further education. But if our college tends to stay the same the number of students willing to pursue further studies will decrease. Because students want a place to study not a place to struggle,” remarks the student.
