Tripura: Chaos at South Charilam English Medium School over teacher shortage

A routine inspection at South Charilam English Medium School spiraled into heated exchanges on Thursday after parents confronted officials over the acute shortage of teachers. 

The school, which runs classes from nursery to grade five, currently has only four sanctioned teachers including the headmaster. With one teacher unwell and two assigned to census duties, the entire responsibility of managing the school has fallen on in‑charge teacher Bhagyashree Debbarma, leaving parents furious.

The situation escalated when Deputy Inspector of Schools, Tanima Roy, during her visit, reportedly told mothers of students that if staff shortages persisted, they should consider not sending their children to school. This remark triggered outrage among parents, who questioned her authority to make such a statement. “Who gave her the order to say children should not attend school?” demanded several guardians, pointing out that the administration’s failure to provide adequate teachers cannot be shifted onto families.

Parents argued that the government’s promise of quality education in English medium schools is being undermined by neglect and poor staffing. They stressed that children’s education is already suffering due to the absence of regular teachers, and such comments from officials only add to their frustration.

Meanwhile, the incident has once again highlighted the growing concerns over shortage of teaching staff in government-run schools across the state.