Shortage of Teachers at HS Gabbar in Rajouri: Students Block Road in Protest

Shyam Sood
Rajouri, June 18:
For the past few months, students of Government High School Gabbar, located in the Koteranka education zone of Rajouri district, have been demanding the filling of sanctioned subject teacher posts.
Out of nine sanctioned posts, five have remained vacant for several months—this includes four
regular subject teachers and one Physical Education Master (PEM).
On Wednesday, students staged a protest and blocked the Budhal-Gabbar Road to demand the appointment of teachers and to raise concerns about the poor and inadequate infrastructure.
It is pertinent to mention that the school was upgraded to a high school in 2007 by the then MLA, the late Th. Puran Singh, to provide quality education to children from underdeveloped areas.

“Unfortunately, even after 18 years of its upgradation, the school continues to suffer from an alarming shortage of staff and deplorable infrastructure, despite having 360 students enrolled,” said Manzoor Naik.

Manzoor Naik, a senior BJP leader from Budhal, visited the school during the students’ protest and assured them he would raise their concerns with the higher authorities.

“Adding to the crisis is the dilapidated condition of the school building, which poses serious safety hazards to both students and staff. Classrooms are crumbling, basic facilities are missing, and the overall environment is unfit for a high school-level institution,” Naik added.

The protesting students also held a march from the school to Budhal under the slogan “Aaj Budhal Chalo” (Let’s go to Budhal today).

Local administration officials interacted with the students. According to sources, education authorities verbally promised the appointment of one new teacher on the spot and assured that 2–3 more teachers would be deputed within a week.

Naik further assured the students that he would take up the matter with the Director of School Education, Jammu, and other higher officials, and make every possible effort to get the vacant positions filled and the school infrastructure repaired within a week.

“It is shameful that even in 2025, students are forced to come out on the streets just to demand teachers and a safe building. If immediate action is not taken, we will be left with no option but to intensify the agitation,” Naik stated.

He also urged the Lieutenant Governor of the Union Territory of J&K to directly intervene and ensure that Government High School Gabbar receives its due share of teachers, staff, and basic facilities without further delay.

Naik warned that if corrective measures are not initiated within the promised timeframe, a mass public movement would be launched to expose the continued negligence toward rural education.

Other social activists who accompanied Naik included Karamat Ali, Altaf Raja, Ashiq Ali, Manzoor Hussain, Ishtiaq Thakker, Mohd Iqbal, Abdul Latief, Shahbaz Khan, and many others.