The Ao Students’ Conference (AKM) has raised serious concern and disappointment over the recent transfer and posting of teachers carried out by the Directorate of School Education, Nagaland, as per Notification No. EDN/PLN/RATIONALIZATION/2023 dated Kohima, 22nd August 2025.
Stating that the exercise has compromised the interests of students, the apex Ao student body said the present rationalization process has been reduced to favoritism and preferential treatment, instead of addressing the real challenges in government schools.
In a press release, AKM acknowledged that rationalization as a policy is aimed at optimizing human resources and improving learning outcomes, but maintained that the recent notification appears to prioritize the personal interests of teachers rather than the educational needs of students. The student body expressed dismay that teachers are being transferred in the middle of the academic session, thereby disrupting continuity of education, while the process has failed to take into account schools that are already struggling with acute shortage of faculty.
It also pointed out that many transfers have been carried out in schools facing staffing shortages without addressing the issue of excess teachers in certain schools, which, according to AKM, clearly undermines the quality of education, particularly in rural areas where students are already disadvantaged.
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Emphasizing that it cannot remain a silent spectator to such discriminatory treatment meted out to rural schools, AKM declared that no child should be deprived of quality education because rules are bent to suit the whims and fancies of a few individuals. It therefore directed all government schools under Mokokchung district not to issue release orders to teachers serving in schools that are already facing shortages, and not to accept joining reports from teachers posted to schools where teachers are already in excess.
Reiterating its stand, the student body asserted, “Education must remain Student Centered.”
To substantiate its concern, AKM furnished examples of how rationalization is negatively impacting schools in Mokokchung. At GPS Nokon, seven teachers were managing 87 students, but with three teachers transferred and none newly deployed, the school is left with only four. At GMS Yimjenkimong, which has just 13 students in Class A-8, eight teachers were reduced to six after two were transferred, yet the student-teacher ratio remains disproportionate. Schools like GPS NEC Farm and GPS Akumen, with 22 and 42 students respectively, have received one additional teacher each despite already having two and three teachers in place. Meanwhile, GPS Aosungkum with 18 students and GPS Kangtsungyimsen with 21 students continue to run with only two teachers each, without any reinforcement. At GHS Saring, despite two teachers being transferred, two new ones were deployed, leaving the total faculty unchanged at 14 for 61 students.
AKM said such imbalances reflect the flaws in the rationalization process and asserted that the loopholes must be taken seriously.
“We remain committed to ensuring that students are not deprived of quality education due to the absence or shortage of teachers,” it stated, while appealing to all members of the community to extend their cooperation and support towards the cause.
