Unnao students protest teacher shortage, poor facilities

More than 200 students of Jai Prakash Narayan Sarvodaya residential school in Unnao's Hasanganj tehsil blocked the Mohan-Bangarmau road on Wednesday morning, protesting a shortage of teachers, poor-quality food and inadequate basic facilities. The students alleged that several subject teachers had not been posted for years, affecting their studies and leaving the syllabus incomplete. They also complained about poor meals, inadequate water supply and non-functional fans, claiming that repeated complaints had gone unaddressed.

Senior officials including Unnao district magistrate Ghanshyam Meena and superintendent of police Jai Prakash Singh reached the spot and had breakfast with the students, assuring them that their grievances would be looked into. The protest ended after three hours. Hindustan Times reports that the students had demanded the education minister be called to the spot. Times Now notes that this is part of a wider wave of student demonstrations across Uttar Pradesh, with similar protests reported in Fatehpur, Hamirpur and Lucknow over teacher shortages and infrastructure issues. Deccan Herald adds that students from similar Social Welfare Department schools had earlier protested in Lucknow on August 14 and 17.