The All Arunachal Pradesh Students’ Union (AAPSU) has sought wide-ranging reforms in the education sector across Arunachal Pradesh, raising concerns over vacant teaching posts, lack of school infrastructure and shortage of academic facilities in colleges and universities.A delegation of the student body, led by AAPSU president Meje Taku, met Education Minister PD Sona in Itanagar on Wednesday and submitted a detailed 27-point memorandum highlighting issues affecting students across the state. According to the union, the memorandum reflects the educational realities faced by students in all 26 districts of Arunachal Pradesh and includes concerns related to government schools, degree colleges and higher educational institutions.
During the meeting, the AAPSU raised serious concerns regarding the functioning of government schools without regular principals and vice principals. The union stated that nearly 52 schools, including higher secondary and secondary schools, are currently operating without proper institutional leadership. The student body said in-charge arrangements cannot replace full-time heads who are authorised to take academic and administrative decisions for the institutions. The union demanded immediate recruitment of principals, vice principals and headmasters through a time-bound process. It also called for a large-scale recruitment drive to fill vacant posts of Primary Teachers (PRT), Trained Graduate Teachers (TGT) and Post Graduate Teachers (PGT) across the state. The AAPSU said every child, including those living in remote villages, has the constitutional right to access qualified teachers and proper educational support. The union also highlighted the shortage of physical education and music teachers in government schools. Referring to the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009, the AAPSU said schools should have trained teachers for sports and arts education as mandated under national policy guidelines.
According to the union, the absence of such teachers affects not only the physical wellbeing of students but also the preservation and promotion of Arunachal Pradesh’s cultural traditions and indigenous heritage. Apart from staffing issues, the student body sought strict implementation of the Right to Education Act in tribal and remote areas and demanded regular delivery of midday meals, free uniforms and textbooks in schools. The memorandum also called for a uniform fee structure in government schools to prevent arbitrary fee collection and demanded a funded statewide programme for upgrading school infrastructure, especially in border and remote regions. At the college level, the AAPSU expressed concern over the shortage of faculty members in government degree colleges and urged the government to fill all vacant assistant professor and associate professor posts at the earliest. The union further demanded the introduction of new academic departments such as psychology, sociology, commerce, anthropology, mass communication, botany, physics, chemistry and zoology in colleges where these subjects are currently unavailable.
