Guwahati: A 12-hour shutdown has been called across Arunachal Pradesh’s East Siang district on Wednesday to press for action over the shortage of teachers in government schools.
The bandh began at 5 am and will continue until 5 pm, with nine organisations, including the Legong Banggo Students’ Union, backing the shutdown.
The organisations are demanding the filling of vacant teaching posts in government schools across East Siang. They have also opposed the recently announced transfer of 63 teachers out of the district, urging the authorities to put the transfers on hold.
The groups said the decision to transfer teachers should be reconsidered in view of the existing vacancies and the shortage of teaching staff in schools across the district.
The shutdown has been organised as a pressure-building measure to draw the attention of the state government and district authorities to the staffing shortage and its impact on students.
The participating organisations have urged the authorities to fill vacant teaching positions and review the proposed transfer of the 63 teachers to ensure that government schools in East Siang have adequate staff.
The bandh is being observed across the district as the organisations push for action on their demands. The extent of its impact and the response from the state government and district administration are awaited.
The organisations have maintained that addressing the teacher shortage is essential to ensure the smooth functioning of government schools and uninterrupted education for students in East Siang.