Nagpur: Scores of students from NMC’s Ekatmata Nagar Marathi Upper Primary School in Jaitala staged a protest outside the municipal commissioner’s office on Monday, demanding immediate appointment of teachers to their school, where just three teachers are posted for 11 classes from nursery to Class VIII.The protest, joined by parents, Congress city president Praful Gudadhe and corporator Shailendra Dorle, highlighted what protesters termed a severe shortage of teachers at the civic-run school.According to the agitators, the school has around 170 students enrolled from nursery, KG-I, KG-II and Classes I to VIII. However, only three teachers are posted. Of them, one has been assigned Booth Level Officer (BLO) duty, leaving only two teachers to manage all classes and subjects.Parents alleged the shortage has severely disrupted teaching. “Children come to school in the morning but often return home as there are no teachers to conduct classes. We have been pursuing the issue for nearly a month, but nothing has changed,” said Gudhade.Students who participated in the protest said they receive regular classes only in English and Mathematics, while several other subjects remain unattended due to the absence of teachers. “We have teachers only for English and Mathematics. There are no teachers for Marathi, Science, History, Geography, Grammar and other subjects, so half of our syllabus remains incomplete,” said a Class VIII student.Another student said the shortage has forced them to depend on self-study despite attending school every day. “We stay in school from 7am to 12.30pm, but only two teachers teach all the classes. They divide students into groups and teach each group for about an hour to one-and-a-half hours. We want teachers for all subjects so we can complete our studies properly,” the student said.Gudadhe accused the administration of neglecting municipal schools, alleging the continued shortage of teachers was affecting the quality of education and forcing parents to shift their children elsewhere. “When enrolment declines, schools are later termed non-viable. Providing adequate teachers is the corporation’s responsibility,” he said.The protesters demanded immediate filling of vacant teaching posts to prevent further academic loss and warned of intensifying the agitation if the administration failed to act.Municipal commissioner Vipin Itankar met the protesting students and their representatives and assured them the issue would be resolved. He said the administration would examine shortage and take necessary steps to ensure adequate teaching staff are made available at the school at the earliest. Following the assurance, the protesters withdrew the agitation.
