EM Impact: Nagaland edu advisor calls for ‘Naga education solution’

Kohima: After EastMojo reported about the condition of Government High School Wakching, Mon district’s oldest school that now stands on the brink of collapse, Advisor to School education Kekhrielhoulie Yhome stressed on the need to bring about a solution to the education sector in the state.

Participating in the discussion on the Nagaland Budget, Yhome, in his maiden address said, “We have spoken a lot about a Naga political solution, but I would like to bring to notice the need to bring about a Naga education solution.”

Citing EastMojo’s report on Wakching Govt High School and another report highlighted by student bodies on the dilapidated conditions of schools in Nagaland, Yhome said there was need for a photography competition showing all the dilapidated schools across the state.

“We have 1,939 schools in Nagaland and it is important that we take upon these new challenges,” he said. Yhome then added that resources from the centre and state should be wisely spent, and that all concerned departments must make collective effort to address the issue of education in Nagaland.

EastMojo has covered the issue of the digital divide in Nagaland in great detail in the past, and it seems like despite the end of the pandemic, things are far from okay in the state. One of the oldest schools in the state and the oldest in the Mon district, the Government High School Wakching, stands on the brink of collapse due to poor maintenance and no attention from the government. 

Located about 33 KM from Mon town, the school in question is essentially an old wooden bungalow painted white with rustic brown CGI sheeted roofs and surrounded by a lush green lawn. 

The school, built in 1958, has been subjected to negligence, creating fear among students, teachers, staff and residents due to the dilapidated condition of the school building.

Although the mid-century school building recently received a facelift, one can only imagine the fear at the horrific sight of slanting pillars (metal and RCC) holding onto the old walls from the outside while wooden pillars support the walls and broken ceilings inside every classroom.

The problems are not limited to structural issues. There is hardly any school classroom with proper floors, doors and windows. While studies have shown that poor school conditions make students feel negative about their school’s norms and expectations, this school in the easternmost part of Nagaland is fighting to provide basic education to rural schoolchildren. Read EastMojo’s ground report here.

Also Read | Nagaland: Mon district’s oldest school is on the brink of collapse