LMRSU pauses GHSS Sungro agitation, warns of third phase

WOKHA – The Lotha Middle Range Students’ Union (LMRSU) has paused the second phase of its agitation over the shortage of teachers at Government Higher Secondary School (GHSS) Sungro, but said the School Education department’s latest assurances fall well short of what the school needs.

According to a press release dated November 9 and seen by Nagaland.News, the union was left dissatisfied by a meeting held that day in the office chamber of the Principal Director of School Education in Kohima. It warned that a third phase of agitation, in a more intense form, would follow if its minimum demands are delayed.

The release was signed by LMRSU president Rhonbemo Murry and general secretary Renvungbo Jami. The union is headquartered at Sanis in Wokha district.

What the department offered at the Kohima meeting

According to the union, the department assured three things at the meeting:

• One post graduate teacher (PGT) in Political Science as a stop-gap arrangement against a teacher on maternity leave.
• The joining of a PGT in English on November 10.
• One graduate teacher (GT) in the general stream during the forthcoming teacher rationalisation.

The LMRSU said these steps do not address the core problem of staff shortage at GHSS Sungro, despite several representations and the closure of schools. It described the department’s approach as “casual and indifferent” towards the academic future of students.

The union also criticised representatives of the district and of GHSS Sungro who attended the meeting. It said they were aware of the basic needs of the schools and students but allowed the meeting to end with an “unsatisfactory and inconclusive result”.

Nagaland.News could not independently confirm whether the English teacher joined on November 10. The department’s version of the meeting was not available at the time of writing.

LMRSU’s three minimum demands for GHSS Sungro

The union said that even if all its demands cannot be met at once, the department must, as a gesture of goodwill on both sides, at least meet the following without further delay:

• At least two more graduate teachers (general).
• One Hindi graduate teacher.
• Release of the lower division assistant (LDA) currently attached to the District Education Officer, Wokha, so that the staff member can join GHSS Sungro.

Without these, the LMRSU said, the school cannot function effectively and the students’ academic future will remain at stake.

Agitation paused for examinations

The union said it had been “compelled” to close all government schools and the Sub-Divisional Education Office (SDEO) at Sanis over the acute shortage of teaching and non-teaching staff. The release does not say when the closure began or how many schools were affected.

It has now paused the second phase in view of ongoing student examinations. However, the LMRSU cautioned that if the department fails to act within a reasonable time, students will “come out to the streets again”, and said the department alone would be held responsible.

A shortage raised for more than a year

The staff shortage at the Sungro range school is not new. In August 2025, the LMRSU served a seven-day notice on the School Education department over neglect of schools in Sanis and nearby areas, Nagaland Post reported. At the time, the union listed needs at GHSS Sungro including desks and benches, a Lotha language teacher, an Alternative English PGT and an LDA.

In September 2026, GHSS Sungro principal R Mhonlumi Yanthan raised the teacher shortage with Wokha Deputy Commissioner K Mhathung Tsanglao during a visit to the school, The Morung Express reported.

On November 3, The Morung Express also reported that student bodies and village councils of the Sungro range had begun an indefinite agitation on November 2, demanding adequate teaching and non-teaching staff and a written assurance from the department.

For more news from the district, read our report on how Wokha banks shut for Tokhü Emong.