Rural areas in Nagaland, particularly in the North-East, face persistent shortages of subject teachers, particularly in Mathematics and Science. In some areas, one government school functions with just two teachers. Across 48 schools there were just seven Maths and Science teachers for over 5,000 students. Remote locations, weak infrastructure and irregular classes compound the learning gaps.
Eleutheros Christian Society (ECS), a Naga NGO, piloted the idea of a Mobile Teaching Unit six years ago, but unfortunately this was just as the COVID pandemic struck. Despite this, they reached 13 villages and 719 students. The unit ran for three years before running out of funds.
From 2026 KET is working with ECS and is funding a new Mobile Teaching Unit reaching over 1,300 children aged between 8 and 14.
The goal is to ensure that every child in ten targeted government middle schools attains grade-level numeracy and science literacy. This, together with renewed community ownership and teacher participation will help to sustain these gains.
1. To strengthen the basic understanding of mathematics and science concepts among children with the focus on building numeracy, logical thinking and scientific curiosity from an early stage.
2. Ensure that core topics in science and maths are systematically taught in villages lacking qualified subject teachers. The mobile unit will bridge this gap by reaching multiple schools on rotation and aligning lessons with the state curriculum.
3. Introduce simple, portable and low-cost laboratory set-ups that allow children to learn through hands-on experiments.
4. Work alongside local teachers to co-teach science and maths offering real time support and skill building. The MTU will serve as a mentoring platform, equipping village teachers with methods to improve subject delivery after the MTU moves on to the next village.
5. Facilitate evening learning sessions in collaboration with youth groups to help children revise and practice concepts. Encourage community volunteers to help ensure continuity of learning.
6. Involve village councils and parents in supporting the MTU by providing space, safety and accountability. Their active participation will help to build long-term ownership ensuring sustainability.
Chendang is a village located 24km from the Tuensang with a population of 862. The village was officially recognised by the Government of Nagaland in 2004 as the Vegetable Village in appreciation of its significant contribution to vegetable farming and its role is promoting sustainable agriculture in the region. The Government Middle School is a co-ed upper primary school and currently has 115 pupils enrolled. Due to a shortage of teachers, the community actively raised funds to support two teachers.
Noksen Town functions as a key local administrative centre and serves as a hub for various government and community services. The Government High School was established and managed by the Department of Education. There are 90 children enrolled from grades 3-8.
Longra Village is also in Tuensang District, 68km from the centre. The village is famous for its Jaggery production (an unrefined traditional cane sugar) which is a significant source of income for its 1,750 populace. It is also known for growing oranges and Paddy cultivation. The primary and middle school was established in 2002 and currently has 112 children enrolled in classes 1-8.
Yangching is a tiny village of 800 people in the Longleng District inhabited by the Phom people, one of the major Naga tribes. Traditionally the Phom are skilled in handicrafts, weaving and agriculture. The Government Middle School has 47 students
The MTU will become active at the end of February 2026 which is the start of the local academic year. It will consist of three trainers plus one team leader. This team will work in turn with part-time tutors in each village.
From February to November 2026, the MTU will cover the ten schools in three cycles, each cycle will be an intensive three to five days in each village.
At the start of the programme, all students in the ten targeted schools will undergo a short baseline test in science and maths. At the end of each academic year, the same group will be reassessed with comparable tests to measure their learning gains.
This will be combined with continuous tracking and the trainers will maintain attendance and participation records during each MTU visit.
The trainers will work with the school headmasters to gather report cards, promotion records and teacher evaluations, where possible.
The indicators of success will be 60-70% of students showing measurable improvement from baseline to endline assessments; a demonstration of good attendance records and regular evening study groups sustained by the students and supported by the community.
We will provide donors with an annual summary report combining the above evidence, including anonymised test results, success stories and clear year-on-year progress against targets.
The Mobile Teaching Unit will cost in the region of £43,500 per year and KET has committed to funding it for a minimum of three years.
