Gen Alpha, Gen Z students march in Lucknow over shortage of teachers, amenities
LUCKNOW: Around 250 Gen Z and Gen Alpha students of Jai Prakash Narayan Sarvodaya Vidyalaya for Girls, Mohan Road, walked about 2.5km from their campus to the Dubagga-Kanpur bypass to protest against teachers shortage and basic amenities at their school on Monday.The high school and senior secondary students of the residential school continued their protest despite rain, saying the lack of regular classes could impact their performance in the upcoming board examinations. Students said only a few classes were being conducted because of the shortage of teachers, leaving them particularly worried about core subjects such as physics, chemistry and biology. They demanded immediate recruitment and posting of qualified teachers, pointing out that classes had been affected for several months at a crucial stage of their academic session.The protest came three days after more than 100 students from the school’s boys campus blocked Mohan Road on Aug 14 over shortage of teachers and other grievances. The boys’ and girls’ sections operate from separate campuses and are run by the UP social welfare department.The protest disrupted traffic on the busy stretch.Amid heavy rain, girls formed a human chain and sat on the Dubagga-Kanpur bypass, demanding the immediate appointment of teachers and that the district magistrate visit the spot to hear their grievances. They also raised concerns over poor-quality food, medical facilities and other issues at the residential school.Police teams from Para, Dubagga and other nearby police stations and outposts reached the spot and tried for nearly two hours to persuade the students to clear the road. However, students remained firm on their demand to meet the DM.When their demand was not accepted, students began moving towards Hazratganj. They ran along the wrong side of the Lucknow-Hardoi highway, with police personnel following them on foot. Students reached the Balaganj intersection around 9:15a.m where officers again tried to persuade them.The protest was eventually brought under control after senior officials of the social welfare department and district administration intervened. Officials spoke to the students, listened to their grievances and took them back to the school.Reacting to the protest, Samajwadi Party posted on X that “After Gen Z, now Gen Alpha is also on the streets,” alleging that the protests reflect the state of education in Uttar Pradesh.
