Lucknow govt school students protest, disrupt traffic movement over shortage of subject teachers

Students of a government school in Lucknow staged a demonstration, disrupting traffic movement over a shortage of subject teachers. Asim Arun, minister and a member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) saw the students protest on his way to Kannauj, joined them on the road and persuaded them back to the school, PTI reported.

According to the report, students of the Jai Prakash Sarvodaya Vidyalaya started protesting at around 9 am, carrying posters and banners, alleging that the teachers shortage was “affecting their studies.”

Moreover, the students also told the Para police team that they were also tense over certain irregularities at the school, the report added.

Later, the police persuaded the students to end the protest and return to the school premises, clearing the road and normalising the traffic flow, the report read.

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School teachers unable to join due to court cases: Minister Arun

There was also a discussion between education officials and teachers after the students were seated at the school’s meeting hall, it aded.

“Adequate police force, led by the Assistant Commissioner of Police, Kakori, was deployed at the spot and the situation remained peaceful, police said. Arun, the state social welfare minister (independent charge), was coincidentally passing through the area on his way to Kannauj for an official programme when he saw the protest,” the report said.

Minister Arun is an MLA from Kannauj and oversees the school departments. He accompanied the students into the school and conducted discussion with students, it added.

"I am satisfied that the children were not protesting because they wanted to cheat or avoid attendance. They were protesting because they wanted their studies to be as good as possible," PTI report said.

Furthermore, the minister also stated that some teachers had been unable to join their posts due to a court case, affecting teaching at some schools run by the Social Welfare Department, it said.

"The case is scheduled for hearing on the 17th, and we are confident that we will present our case strongly before the high court and soon make arrangements for guest lecturers and teachers," he said.

Guest teachers were arranged in 2024-25 to fill vacancies and the arrangement was being continued this year, Arun said in the PTI report.

He also assured students that their demands for improving studies and coaching under the Mukhyamantri Abhudaya Yojana will be met, it added.

The scheme provides coaching for competitive examinations and advanced studies, the minister added in the report.