Kerala Teacher Rankholders’ Protest Enters 113th Day As Association Secretary Shaves Head

Lower primary teacher rankholders in Kerala have escalated their protest over government jobs, with association secretary S Valarmathi shaving her head and starting an indefinite hunger strike on Monday. The agitation outside the state Secretariat has now entered its 113th day as the candidates accuse the government of failing to act on assurances over appointments.

Valarmathi, who is secretary of the All Kerala Lower Primary School Teacher (LPST) Rank Holders’ Association, tonsured her head to protest delays in appointments from the Kerala Public Service Commission (PSC) rank list. The latest action marks a sharper phase in a campaign that has run for more than three months.

The rankholders say they will continue their protest until their demands are met. At the centre of the dispute is their claim that available vacancies have not been filled from the existing list despite repeated talks and assurances.

Protest Demands Listed

The protesters are lower primary teacher rankholders in Kerala. Valarmathi, as secretary of the All Kerala Lower Primary School Teacher (LPST) Rank Holders’ Association, has emerged as the face of the agitation outside the Secretariat.

She shaved her head as a mark of protest against delays in appointments from the PSC rank list. The candidates say the government has yet to convert its assurances into the appointments they have been seeking.

The rankholders have repeated four demands. They want the student-teacher ratio reduced from 1:30 to 1:25, Head Teacher Vacancy (HTV) appointments brought under the PSC, the current rank list extended and a fresh recruitment notification delayed until appointments from the existing list are completed.

Rain And Canopy Row

The protest also faced difficult conditions at the site. Valarmathi shared a video alleging that police officers did not allow the protesters to put up a canopy. She alleged that those on the hunger strike were left sitting in the rain.

The allegation adds to the pressure around the protest site even as the wider dispute remains focused on appointments from the rank list.

Earlier Strike And Response

In August, Valarmathi ended a 13-day indefinite hunger strike after General Education Minister N Shamsuddeen met representatives of the association. At that stage, the wider protest had already continued for 37 days, and Shamsuddeen sought 45 days to examine their demands.

On September 30, the government stated that it had agreed to most of the demands. It stated that head teacher posts in government schools with more than 150 students in the lower primary section would be reported to the PSC for appointments from the existing rank list.

Shamsuddeen also said requests to extend the validity of the list would be considered sympathetically after its expiry. Even so, the latest escalation suggests the candidates remain dissatisfied with the pace of action.

Rank List Dispute

The core dispute is over appointments from the LPST rank list published in May 2025. The candidates have demanded that all available vacancies be reported and filled before any fresh recruitment process begins.

The protest has also drawn political criticism. A social media post accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of showing selective solidarity with student protesters in Delhi while staying silent on the Kerala rankholders’ agitation.

That allegation was made by the author of the post and was not independently established. The rankholders have said they will continue their protest until their demands are addressed.