The Nokhu Range Students’ Union (NRSU) has started an initiative wherein the union would visit and inspect government-run schools falling under the Nokhu range jurisdiction in Noklak district. This has been adopted with the objective to bring significant changes in educational institutions which are responsible for the children’s future, in view of the ineffectiveness of the traditional method of school inspection carried out by the authorities.
NRSU conducted the 1st phase of the Educational Tour for the year 2022-23 from 10-13 October 2022. During the tour, the team visited five school with the theme ‘Redefining Responsibility’.
The students’ body told Nagaland Tribune that this theme was chosen for the Educational Tour to see and do things differently rather than continue with the old practices.
The Nokhu Range Students’ Union on the Educational Tour conducted from 10-13 October 2022. NT photos.
During the tour led by P V Shingnya, President NRSU, a number of grave and “pathetic” issues came to light. The Union found that shortage of teachers was faced by every school, perhaps due to irregularity of non-native teachers. The schools also lacked basic amenities like blackboards and white boards, it revealed.
The union said that in some schools, students from different standards were forced to sit together due to insufficient classrooms.
Tangmong, Education Secretary NRSU, alleged: “During the tour, we found the worst case in Government Primary School Kingpao where there has never been fully funded for school building construction thus, the existing building was constructed by the villagers [sic].”
In the tour, the Union also met with the concerned school management committees, village councils, teaching faculties, local students’ bodies and church leaders to discuss the issues and challenges faced by the institutions.
The team of Nokhu Range Students’ Union posing outside a school with school management committee, village council, teaching faculty and church leaders on the Educational Tour. NT photos.
NRSU also introduced a new initiative called ‘PICK ME BOX’ to address the lack of stationery faced by students from underprivileged backgrounds. Under this project, boxes filled with basic stationery such as pencils, erasers and sharpeners were handed out to the schools so that the teachers could give them to the students whenever the need arose.
NRSU, on the 1st phase of the Educational Tour, also presented wall clocks to each school to encourage time management.
The student body then appealed to the local churches under Nokhu Range to pray and bless the students and teachers at least once a month at their convenient time – a request welcomed by the churches.
Shingnya requested the concerned department and the state government to look into the degrading conditions of the government schools in the Nokhu Range saying,” The schools are the basic foundation on which the life of the students will be firmly built [sic]“.
