At least 90 schoolgirls from Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV) in Pakke Kessang district of Arunachal Pradesh walked nearly 65 km to protest the lack of teachers in their school.
The students, dressed in blue uniforms, began their march from Nyangno village on Sunday night and reached Lemmi, the district headquarters, on Monday morning. Videos of the march, showing girls carrying umbrellas and backpacks, went viral on social media.
The protest was led by Class 11 and 12 students, who demanded immediate posting of Geography and Political Science teachers. They carried posters reading, “A school without a teacher is just a building”, and shouted slogans to highlight their demands.
The students said they had no choice after their repeated requests to school authorities and education officials went unanswered.
Deepak Tayeng, Deputy Director of School Education in Pakke Kessang, confirmed the teacher shortage but noted that the students had not informed hostel wardens before the march. The school’s headmistress admitted the shortage but said tutors are available for other subjects.
The school, run by an NGO since 2011, aims to provide education to girls from disadvantaged communities in backward areas.
