Waiting And Fasting: In Kerala, A Teacher Aspirant Shaves Head After 113 Days Of Protest

The protest by lower primary school teacher rankholders in Kerala over delayed government appointments intensified on Monday, with association secretary S Valarmathi shaving her head and announcing an indefinite hunger strike. The agitation outside the state Secretariat has entered its 113th day, with candidates accusing the government of failing to fulfil its assurances on appointments from the Kerala Public Service Commission (PSC) rank list.

Valarmathi, secretary of the All Kerala Lower Primary School Teacher (LPST) Rank Holders’ Association, tonsured her head to protest the delay in appointments. She also shared a video alleging that police had prevented protesters from erecting a canopy, leaving those participating in the hunger strike exposed to rain.

Four Key Demands Behind The Protest

The rankholders have reiterated four principal demands: reducing the student-teacher ratio from 1:30 to 1:25, bringing Head Teacher Vacancy (HTV) appointments under the PSC, extending the validity of the existing rank list and postponing a fresh recruitment notification until appointments from the current list are completed.

The candidates say repeated assurances from the government have not translated into the appointments they are seeking. Their agitation centres on the LPST rank list published in May 2025, with protesters demanding that available vacancies be reported and filled before a fresh recruitment process begins.

Valarmathi told The New Indian Express that the authorities told her that an order accepting their demands will be issued once the protests were called off.

The dispute has also raised questions over the pace at which the government is addressing the candidates’ demands. Although the administration had indicated that it would consider several of their requests, the latest escalation suggests that the rankholders remain dissatisfied with the progress made so far.

Earlier Hunger Strike Ended After Government Assurances

This is not the first time Valarmathi has undertaken an indefinite hunger strike. In August, she ended a 13-day fast after General Education Minister N Shamsuddeen met representatives of the association and sought 45 days to examine their demands. The wider agitation had continued for 37 days at that point.

On September 30, the government said 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. The minister also said requests to extend the list’s validity would be considered sympathetically after its expiry.

However, the candidates have continued to press for concrete action on appointments and the other issues raised by the association.

The agitation has also drawn political criticism. A social media post by the BJP accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of showing selective solidarity with student protesters in Delhi while remaining silent on the Kerala rankholders’ protest. The rankholders have said they will continue their agitation until the government addresses their demands.