Itanagar: Around 90 students of Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV) in Nangnyo, Pakke Kessang district, Arunachal Pradesh, undertook a 65-kilometre march to protest an acute shortage of teachers at their school.
The demonstration, which began on Sunday night from Nyangno village, saw the students walking through the night before reaching Lemmi, the district headquarters, the following morning.
Clad in their blue school uniforms, the students—primarily from Classes 11 and 12—carried posters reading “A school without a teacher is just a building” and raised slogans demanding immediate posting of Geography and Political Science teachers.
Video clips of the march circulated widely on social media, though their authenticity could not be independently verified.
Pakke Kessang Deputy Director of School Education (DDSE) Deepak Tayeng said the students did not inform school authorities about their march.
“They were protesting the acute shortage of teachers in the school,” he said, confirming the walk drew attention across the district.
The headmistress of KGBV acknowledged the shortfall of Geography and Political Science teachers but noted that other subjects had sufficient instructors and that half-yearly courses had already been completed.
Established in 2011-12 and managed by the Sei Donyi Charitable Trust, the school caters to girls from disadvantaged communities in educationally backward areas.
It currently has over 90 students, a headmistress, a warden, and 13 teachers.
The department has since taken action following the protest. “The midnight march has yielded results,” Tayeng said.
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The education department approved the recruitment of a Geography and Political Science teacher, with walk-in interviews conducted last month and awaiting final sanction from higher authorities.
Two contractual teachers were also engaged last month to ensure smooth functioning.
Authorities said the students resorted to the march after repeated requests for subject teachers went unanswered.
The protest has highlighted the challenges faced by schools in remote areas of Arunachal Pradesh and the determination of students to secure quality education.
