72,950 Teacher Posts Vacant On Paper, But MP To Recruit Only 18,000 In Two Years

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): In a major setback for teacher aspirants in Madhya Pradesh, the School Education Department will recruit teachers against only 18,000 posts over the next two years.

School education minister Uday Pratap Singh made the announcement on Tuesday while addressing students at the laptop distribution programme held at the Kushabhau Thakre International Convention Centre in Bhopal.

The minister said there was a misconception around the number of vacant teacher posts in the state. “We frequently hear in the news or read in newspapers that a large number of teacher posts are vacant.

However, people do not understand that these figures do not represent the actual shortage of teachers, as guest teachers have been engaged against several of these posts,” he said.

The minister said around 70,000 to 72,000 guest teachers are currently working in the state.

“People count these as vacant posts, but technically, when we calculate the posts that can actually be filled, we have to take several factors into account,” he said.

He said that the department has to keep reservation requirements in mind while calculating the posts available for fresh recruitment.

This includes the SC/ST backlog, as well as the 13% OBC quota that has been kept on hold, among other reservation-related provisions.

“On the directions of the Chief Minister, the process to fill vacant teacher posts as per the rules will be started.

I am saying this responsibly that, according to our calculation, within two years we can recruit against only 18,000 posts as per the rules”, Singh added.

“We cannot fill all the vacant posts together, nor can we clear the entire SC/ST backlog at once. After considering all these factors, only 18,000 posts remain available for recruitment,” he said.

On paper: 72,950 teacher posts vacant

According to data presented in the state assembly, 72,950 teacher posts are vacant in government schools across the state. Against 2,87,455 sanctioned teacher posts, only 2,15,103 teachers are currently working.

At the primary school level, 1,32,775 posts have been sanctioned, of which 1,19,690 are filled, leaving 13,683 vacancies.

Middle schools have the highest number of vacancies, with 44,759 posts vacant against 1,11,274 sanctioned posts, while 66,515 teachers are currently working.

At the higher secondary level, 43,406 posts have been sanctioned, of which 28,898 are filled, leaving 14,508 vacancies.