Nagaland govt schools in crisis: Low enrolment, high dropouts, poor results trigger alarm

Government-run schools in Nagaland are grappling with alarming challenges—low student enrolment, rising dropout rates, and declining academic performance—despite making up 70 percent of the state's total educational institutions.

Addressing these concerns during a two-day workshop in Kohima, Samagra Shiksha Nagaland State Mission Director L. Jamithung Lotha highlighted that private schools, though fewer in number, continue to attract more students due to better outcomes and stronger management. He attributed the public school crisis to unreliable data, poor inter-departmental coordination, and a lack of accountability.

Raising concerns over student migration to private schools, Lotha stressed the need for urgent action to address systemic failures.

Nagaland Commissioner and Secretary for School Education and SCERT, Kevileno Angami, urged teachers to take responsibility for reversing the trend. She underlined that quality education remains the cornerstone of human capital development, which is central to the Government of India’s Viksit Bharat 2047 vision.

"Whether we have done justice or not is something we must ask ourselves," Angami said, calling on education officers to push meaningful reforms and ensure tangible improvements.

Shashank Pratap Singh, Principal Director of School Education, echoed the need for strict discipline, continuous monitoring, and behavioural change in the school system. He warned that ongoing negligence could further erode academic standards and public trust in government-run schools.

The workshop concluded with a call for educators and administrators to actively engage in reform and take ownership of the state's educational outcomes.