Agartala, 20th August 2026 :
Parents of students at a school in Tripura staged an unusual protest on Thursday, taking their children outside the school premises and locking the gates from outside to demand the appointment of more teachers. The protesting students were heard repeatedly chanting, “Shikkhok Chai! Shikkhok Chai!” (We want teachers! We want teachers!).
According to school staff, the incident took place after the morning prayer session. Guardians suddenly took their children outside the school and subsequently locked all the gates, leaving teachers and staff inside the premises for some time.
A teacher said the guardians informed them that they had no intention of causing harm but wanted to draw attention to the shortage of teachers. “They told us that our school needs teachers and that they had therefore locked the gates for a while and taken their children outside,” the teacher said.
During an interaction with the reporter, the teacher revealed that the school currently has only four teachers for 392 students. Apart from the teachers, the school has three ayahs and two cooks to assist with various activities.
The teacher also acknowledged that the institution requires additional teachers as per the prescribed norms, given the large number of students enrolled.
The protest by parents and students has once again highlighted concerns over teacher shortages in government schools and the impact such shortages can have on classroom teaching and student learning. The repeated slogans of “Shikkhok Chai!” reflected the growing demand among students and guardians for adequate teaching staff.
The incident has also raised questions about whether the authorities will take immediate steps to address the shortage and ensure that the school has sufficient teachers to cater to its nearly 400 students.
