Reported by Bhadra Gogoi
Dimapur: Nagaland’s teacher-student ratio stands at 1:12, Adviser to School Education Kekhrielhoulie Yhome said on Friday, describing it as “very healthy”.
Yhome said Nagaland has around 1,900 government schools, 880 private schools, and a dozen central schools, with a total of about 34,000 teachers.
Addressing an orientation programme on the Nagaland School Quality Assessment and Accreditation Framework (NSQAAF) pilot project, supported by Central Square Foundation, for heads of institutions/proprietors of 100 selected schools and 90 selected external evaluators at the Capital Convention Centre in Kohima, he noted that many schools in Nagaland are facing challenges such as having no students or very few students.
To address these issues, he said, the government has initiated the process of closing such schools through amalgamation.
“However, to ensure children’s Right to Education, many schools are also being opened and regulated through the reauthorisation of the school system and the restructuring of government schools,” Yhome added.
He said the NSQAAF pilot programme includes 100 schools, comprising 50 selected private schools and 50 selected government schools.
He also stated that schools would be evaluated across five domains — administration, curriculum, assessment, infrastructure, and inclusiveness.
Yhome said the new framework would help schools understand their strengths and areas for improvement through a structured assessment across these five key domains. He urged schools to view the pilot project as an opportunity to improve and work towards higher standards.
He stressed that the initiative would play an important role in shaping a stronger and brighter future for education in the state.
Commissioner and Secretary, School Education, and Chairperson of the interim Nagaland State School Standards Authority (NSSSA), Kevileno Angami, said the NSQAAF proposes standardised criteria for both private and government schools to evaluate performance, assess quality, and identify areas requiring improvement.
She stated that the framework is not merely a one-time exercise but will function under a permanent independent regulatory body.
The resource persons for the orientation programme were Niharika Suresh, Prasuti Sharma, and Zephyr Pegu from the Central Square Foundation.