School Without Teachers: Students Struggle as Classrooms Go Silent in Gogamukh

In the home constituency of Assam’s Education Minister, the stark reality of the Education Department’s inefficiency is playing out in the classrooms of Naharbari Higher Secondary Government School, leaving students deprived of basic lessons and the school struggling to function.

The school, under the Bordoloni Education Block, has seen a sharp decline in student strength due to the chronic absence of subject teachers. Of the 262 enrolled students, the institution currently has only five high school teachers, four upper primary teachers, and a single pre-primary teacher. The situation is particularly dire in crucial subjects such as Science, Hindi, and Mathematics, where lessons are either irregular or entirely absent.

One student lamented, “There are no science teachers, only one maths teacher, and the two Hindi teachers retired yesterday. We appeal to the Assam Chief Minister and the Education Minister to appoint teachers so that we can study properly.”

The school’s headmaster painted a grim picture, stating, “With over 300 students and such limited staff, teaching has become extremely difficult. Teachers are retiring day by day, leaving the school severely understaffed. Just recently, the Hindi teachers retired, leaving the school with zero Hindi teachers, and Science has never had a dedicated teacher. It is nearly impossible to organise a proper daily routine or provide quality education under these conditions.”

Another teacher echoed the concern, highlighting the school’s historical significance: “Despite being one of the oldest schools in the region, we are struggling with a severe shortage of teachers. The Education Minister visited our school last year and emphasised the need to boost higher secondary admissions, but no substantial action has been taken to develop the school so far.”

The headmaster confirmed that conducting classes with such limited staff is a monumental challenge. “We do our best to manage, but the quality of education is being compromised, and students are the ones who suffer the most,” he added.

It is worth noting that in 2017, the Education Department merged three institutions, Khurasuk Naharbari Primary School (est. 1924), Naharbari Middle English School (est. 1970), and Naharbari Girls’ Middle English School (est. 1990), into the present Naharbari Higher Secondary School, aiming to consolidate resources and improve education. Yet, the shortage of teachers continues to undermine these efforts.

Calling for urgent intervention, the headmaster and remaining teachers have appealed directly to the Education Minister to prioritise teacher appointments at the earliest, warning that the academic future of hundreds of students hangs in the balance.

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