Himachal Grapples With Teacher Vacancies as 150 Schools Run Staffless
Himachal has 150 schools with no teachers and 3,500 with just one, even as the state claims India's best pupil-teacher ratio.
The Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly on Wednesday heard concerns over a persistent teacher shortage, with data revealing that 150 schools across the state are functioning without any teaching staff and around 3,500 schools have only a single teacher deployed.
Raising the issue during Zero Hour, BJP MLA Reena Kashyap highlighted the situation in her Pachhad constituency, stating that 12 schools there have no teachers at all. Several of these institutions have more than 40 students each, forcing parents to pool resources and hire teachers privately. She also pointed to vacancies in Narag and Sarahan, where six and five schools respectively are without teachers, along with unfilled posts for principals and lecturers.
Responding in the House, Education Minister Rohit Thakur said the state maintains the country's best Pupil-Teacher Ratio (PTR) of 1:10, meaning one teacher is appointed for every ten students. However, he conceded that staffing gaps persist in remote areas, where deployment is complicated by various pressures and posting orders are sometimes revised.
Thakur said the government has filled a record 9,000 teaching posts so far and plans to recruit another 6,500 teachers before the current term ends. He added that a rationalisation process is underway to address vacancies in far-flung regions.
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu intervened to state that a policy is being formulated for appointments in single-teacher schools. He noted that despite Sirmaur being designated an 'Aspirational District' by the central government, students from the area are clearing written recruitment examinations successfully.