The Government Girls’ Higher Secondary School in Dhubri, one of the oldest educational institutions in Assam and recently selected under the PM SHRI scheme, is grappling with an acute shortage of teachers and staff, triggering concern over its academic future.
Founded in 1925, the school is on the verge of completing 100 years. However, despite its heritage status and inclusion under the Pradhan Mantri Shri Schools for Rising India (PM SHRI) initiative, locals allege that there has been little visible improvement and that the institution continues to suffer from years of administrative neglect.
Official records show that the school has 67 sanctioned posts, including teaching and non-teaching staff. Of these, 34 posts are currently lying vacant. The posts of Principal and Vice-Principal have remained unfilled for a long time. At present, Dhubri Inspector of Schools Adit Kumar Sharma is holding additional charge as Principal, while Biswanath Roy has been appointed as Academic Principal.
The shortage is particularly severe among teaching staff. Of the 13 sanctioned subject teacher posts in the Arts and Science streams, only three are filled, leaving 10 posts vacant. The situation is similar in non-teaching positions, with the school functioning with just one Demonstrator against three sanctioned posts, one Grade-III staff member against three posts, and six Grade-IV employees against an approved strength of eleven.
The impact of the staff crunch is most evident in the Science stream. Although the school runs classes from Class VI to Higher Secondary level, the Higher Secondary Science stream has virtually come to a halt due to the lack of teachers. As a result, there have been no enrolments in HS first and second year Science courses during the current academic session.
At present, the school caters to around 853 students from Class VI to Higher Secondary Arts. Education observers and local residents point out that the limited number of teachers are under tremendous pressure, affecting classroom teaching and overall academic performance.
The PM SHRI scheme, launched in line with the National Education Policy 2020, aims to develop model schools with modern infrastructure and improved learning standards. However, residents say that for the Dhubri school, the PM SHRI tag has so far remained largely on paper.
Locals have urged the Assam government and the Education Department to take urgent steps to address the crisis by appointing a full-time Principal and Vice-Principal and filling all vacant posts. They stress that timely action is crucial not only to uphold the PM SHRI mandate but also to safeguard the academic legacy of a school nearing its centenary year.