At least 90 girls from Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV) in Pakke Kessang district of Arunachal Pradesh walked nearly 65 km to highlight the severe shortage of teachers in their school.

The students, dressed in their blue uniforms, set out from Nyangno village on Sunday evening and marched through the night before reaching Lemmi, the district headquarters, on Monday morning, officials said.

Video clips of their march surfaced on social media, showing the students walking both at night and in daylight. PTI, however, could not independently verify the videos.

Led by Class 11 and 12 students, the protestors called for urgent posting of teachers in Geography and Political Science. They carried placards reading, “A school without a teacher (is) just a building”, and shouted slogans in support of their demands.

Deputy Director of School Education (DDSE) Deepak Tayeng confirmed the protest, saying, “The students were protesting the acute shortage of teachers in the school.” He added that the students had not informed the hostel warden or school authorities before the march.

The school’s headmistress acknowledged the lack of Geography and Political Science teachers but said the institution had enough tutors for other subjects. She noted that lessons for the half-yearly exams had already been completed.

The school, established in 2011-12 and managed by Sei Donyi Charitable Trust, provides education to girls from disadvantaged backgrounds. It currently has over 90 students, a headmistress, a warden, and 13 teachers.

Officials said that despite earlier efforts, the teacher shortage persisted. Last month, the DDSE office held walk-in interviews to recruit three teachers and had engaged two contractual teachers.

After the overnight march drew wide attention, the education department approved the appointment of a Geography and a Political Science teacher, Tayeng confirmed.

The bold protest, which shocked parents, officials, and the public, has now resulted in quick action from the authorities.