Rain-soaked protest: UP schoolgirls stage second demonstration over teacher shortage in four days

Girl students of a government-run residential school here blocked a busy intersection in heavy rain on Monday, August 17, marking the second protest by students of the institution in four days over a shortage of teachers and disrupted classes, officials said.

The agitation by students of Jai Prakash Narayan Sarvodaya Vidyalaya drew a sharp reaction from Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, who attacked the state's BJP government over children being forced onto the streets to demand their rights.

Uttar Pradesh minister Asim Arun said the issue was linked to a pending appointment case involving guest teachers that is before the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court, with a verdict expected on Tuesday, August 18,

Students left the school around 9 am and gathered at the Dubagga-Kanpur Bypass and Balaganj intersections, carrying placards and shouting slogans over grievances affecting their education, according to the report. Some sat at the protest site with towels wrapped around their heads to shield themselves from the rain, while others linked hands to form a human chain blocking traffic.

The protest snarled traffic during the morning rush hour, prompting police deployment to restore order. The Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (West), the ACP of Kakori, the Sub-Divisional Magistrate and the Chief Development Officer went to the site and persuaded the students to call off the demonstration. Students were then escorted back to the school, where senior officials held talks with them, and traffic returned to normal, police said.

This was the second such protest in four days male students at the same school had staged a similar demonstration on Friday over related grievances.

A student identified as Anamika said the school day runs from 8 am to 4 pm with assembly sessions stretching nearly two hours, leaving little time for extracurricular activities. She said the school has only a chemistry teacher despite a large number of science-stream students, with no teachers posted for physics or biology.

With board examinations approaching, she said academics were suffering due to the lack of teachers, and students were also struggling with online classes. Students additionally demanded action against the school warden and the appointment of more teachers, warning of further protests if their demands go unmet.

Reacting on social media platform X, Akhilesh Yadav said the biggest failure of the BJP government, in power since 2014, was that the children up to age 14 no longer had any hope from it. He said girl students who should be in classrooms were instead being forced onto the streets due to teacher shortages and inadequate facilities, and questioned whether Uttar Pradesh even has an education minister. He also shared a video of the protest.

Minister Arun told PTI on Monday, August 17, evening that schools run by the Social Welfare Department had adequate infrastructure buildings, food, education and coaching but acknowledged the teacher shortage as a genuine concern. He said guest teachers selected last year to fill vacancies had approached the court seeking continuation of their jobs, and the matter's pendency had left some posts unfilled.

Arun said he shared the students' concerns and was worried about their academic future in the absence of adequate teaching staff. He said the department had presented its position before the court on Monday and expressed hope for a favourable order on Tuesday, August 18, adding that guest teachers would be reinstated and the selection process reviewed given questions raised over it. He said strict action would be taken against officials found negligent, noting teachers had been unavailable at the school for nearly a month and a half.

Social Welfare Department Director Sanjeev Singh said earlier in the day that officials had engaged with students and were working to resolve their concerns through dialogue.

A department official confirmed students were taken back to campus after the morning protest, with senior officials present to discuss their demands. Police said officials from the social welfare, education and police departments, along with school authorities, held discussions with students on campus.

The teacher appointment issue is tied to a case listed for hearing before the Allahabad High Court's Lucknow bench on Monday, with further action on appointments to depend on the court's proceedings.

The protests come amid a string of similar demonstrations by school students elsewhere in Uttar Pradesh in recent months, including in Fatehpur, Hamirpur and Kannauj over education and infrastructure issues.

(Inputs from PTI)