Скачать или смотреть Severe Teacher Shortage Sparks Intense Protest at Government School in Kerakona, Honnavar

By The News Observer Desk,
Honnavar:
Parents, students, alumni, and members of the School Development and Monitoring Committee (SDMC) staged a powerful protest on the premises of the Government Higher Primary School in Kerakona village, Honnavar taluk, demanding an immediate solution to the acute shortage of teachers that has crippled the institution.
Currently, the school – which serves hundreds of children from surrounding villages – is functioning with only two permanent teachers. This has left most classrooms completely unattended, forcing students to sit idle or join their parents in the protest instead of attending lessons. Parents allege that the lack of staff has severely compromised the quality of education, with several classes going without a teacher for weeks.
“The children are not receiving proper instruction. Many periods are simply wasted because there is no one to teach,” said one agitated parent. “We have lost faith in the government school system. If the Education Department does not act immediately, the future of our children will be plunged into darkness.”
The protesters warned that unless new teachers are appointed without delay, they will continue their agitation indefinitely, including boycotting classes until their demands are met.
“We are not against the school or the existing teachers – they are doing their best under impossible conditions,” clarified an SDMC member. “But running an entire higher primary school with just two teachers is unacceptable. The authorities have known about the vacancies for months and have done nothing.”
Local villagers and former students also joined the demonstration, emphasizing that the school plays a vital role in providing accessible education to underprivileged families in the region. Many pointed out that without urgent intervention, more parents may be forced to pull their children out of the government school and seek expensive private alternatives – an option most families here cannot afford.
The protesters have urged the Block Education Officer (BEO), the Deputy Director of Public Instruction (DDPI), and the Honnavar MLA to personally visit the school and address the crisis. They have demanded the immediate posting of at least four to five additional qualified teachers to restore normal academic functioning.
As of now, no official from the Education Department has visited the school or issued a public response to the protest.
The situation at Kerakona Government Higher Primary School highlights a broader concern across rural Karnataka, where teacher shortages, delayed appointments, and vacant posts continue to affect thousands of government schools, putting the education of lakhs of children at risk.
The parents have made it clear: they will not back down until their children can return to a fully staffed classroom.

Reporting and Videography by Saikiran Babrekar