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.

Students, guardians and local residents said the severe shortage of teachers has badly disrupted academic activities and is affecting the quality of education at the school.

This School is the only secondary educational institution in the border-enclave union of Dahagram. Students have to cross the historic Tin Bigha Corridor to reach the school.

Established in 1975 to ensure educational opportunities for local students, the school was brought under government management in 2013.

According to government rules, the school has 25 approved teaching posts. However, only seven teachers were absorbed when it was nationalised. Over the years, six of them retired, leaving only the assistant headmaster to run all academic activities.

With around 600 students enrolled, the lone teacher can conduct a maximum of five classes a day, leaving most classes without regular lessons.

Frustrated by the prolonged crisis, students began boycotting classes on Sunday, demanding the immediate recruitment of the required number of teachers to restore normal academic activities.

Local residents said Dahagram Union is surrounded by the Indian border on three sides, with the Tin Bigha Corridor serving as the only route to the mainland. As a result, it is difficult for most students to attend schools in the upazila town, making the local school crucial for their education.

The acting headmaster of Dahagram Government High School said requisitions for teacher appointments had been sent to the 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, said the teacher shortage had already been reported to the 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 urged the authorities to appoint the required number of teachers without delay to restore a normal learning environment at the border school.