Lalmonirhat: Students of Dahagram Government High School in Patgram upazila of Lalmonirhat have boycotted classes and launched a protest, demanding the immediate appointment of teachers as the school is operating with only one teacher for nearly 600 students.

According to United News of Bangladesh, students, guardians, and local residents reported that the severe shortage of teachers has disrupted academic activities and affected the quality of education at the school. This institution is the only secondary educational facility in the border-enclave union of Dahagram, with students needing to cross the historic Tin Bigha Corridor to reach it.

Established in 1975 to ensure educational opportunities for local students, the school was brought under government management in 2013. As per government rules, the school has 25 approved teaching posts. However, only seven teachers were appointed when it was nationalized, and over the years, six of them retired, leaving only the assistant headmaster to manage all academic activities.

With around 600 students enrolled, the single teacher can conduct a maximum of five classes a day, leaving most classes without regular lessons. In response to this prolonged crisis, students began boycotting classes on Sunday, demanding the immediate recruitment of the necessary number of teachers to restore normal academic operations.

Local residents highlighted that Dahagram Union is bordered by India on three sides, with the Tin Bigha Corridor as the sole route to the mainland. This geographical isolation makes it difficult for most students to attend schools in the upazila town, rendering the local school crucial for their education.

The acting headmaster of Dahagram Government High School stated that requisitions for teacher appointments had been sent to higher authorities several times, but no new teachers had been posted so far, causing serious disruption to academic activities.

Rokhsana Begum, acting deputy director of the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE) in the Rangpur region, confirmed that the teacher shortage had already been reported to higher authorities. “The process of recruiting teachers for the vacant posts is underway. We hope the problem will be resolved once the recruitment is completed,” she said.

Students, guardians, and local residents are urging the authorities to appoint the required number of teachers without delay to restore a normal learning environment at the border school.