Special Correspondent
Ukhrul, September 8:
More than 1,000 students. Over 600 in Classes XI and XII. Four sanctioned English lecturer posts — but only one lecturer actually teaching. Broken classroom windows, rainwater dripping onto desks, overcrowded rooms and woefully inadequate toilets.
This is not the picture of an institution preparing Manipur’s young people for the future. It is the disturbing reality the Students’ Union of Ukhrul Higher Secondary School says it is being forced to confront every day.
The Union has now sent an SOS to Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh, demanding immediate government intervention to prevent what it described as an education crisis from becoming an academic disaster.
Talking to media persons, the Union General Secretary Singaror Chiphang and other office-bearers laid bare the extent of the crisis, saying the school has had more than 1,000 students for the past three academic sessions, while teaching strength has failed to keep pace.
The English Department provides the most shocking example. Of four sanctioned lecturer posts, three are vacant following superannuation, leaving one lecturer to shoulder the academic responsibility of the entire department, according to the Union.
The students are demanding that sanctioned English posts be increased from four to 12, besides six dedicated posts for Tangkhul (MIL). They have also sought increases in History posts from three to six, Political Science from three to six, Education from three to four and Home Science from two to four.
Geography has four sanctioned posts but only one lecturer is reportedly in position, leaving three vacancies.
The Commerce stream is in an even more precarious position. The Union said the lone Commerce lecturer is presently utilised at Senapati, while the stream itself has been badly affected. The students have demanded four sanctioned Commerce posts and adequate lecturers at Ukhrul.
The students have also questioned the posting orders issued on August 12, 2026, under which newly regularised lecturers serving at Ukhrul, including those in English, History, Political Science and Geography, were reportedly transferred elsewhere.
The Union’s central grievance is blunt: teachers were moved out, but replacement teachers were not sent in.
At a time when the school was already struggling with vacancies and rising enrolment, the students said the decision has further weakened academic activities and left the institution “high and dry”.
The consequences are visible beyond the staffroom.
With classrooms in short supply, Ukhrul Higher Secondary School is reportedly forced to run split shifts, with some classes accommodating around 200 students. A media team visiting the school observed that nearly 90 per cent of classroom windows have broken glass, while rainwater reportedly enters several rooms, soaking floors, desks and benches.
The Students’ Union said over 1,000 students share just 11 toilets and 18 urinals. It has demanded 15–20 additional classrooms, a multipurpose hall, modern sanitation facilities, adequate furniture, computers, smart boards and internet connectivity.
The students are not asking for luxury—they are asking for the basic right to learn.