Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Around 2.30 lakh teaching posts remain vacant in Madhya Pradesh’s primary and middle schools under the School Education and Tribal Welfare Departments. Despite this, the government proposes to recruit just about 20,000 teachers, less than 10% of total vacancies.
The shortage forces one teacher to handle two or even three classes, especially in rural and tribal areas. There are 1,31,152 vacancies for primary teachers and 99,157 for middle school teachers, totaling 2,30,309 posts.
The Madhya Pradesh Employees Selection Board (MPESB) conducted an online exam for middle school teachers from April 17–27, 2025. Results were announced in September, declaring around 90,000 candidates eligible. However, only 10,500 will be appointed, and four months later, they are still awaiting appointment orders.
The exam for primary teachers was held from October 9–13, 2025, but results are yet to be announced. Millions of candidates had appeared, yet only 10,150 will be appointed, including 3,200 ‘special teachers’ for music, sports and other subjects. About 1,500 posts will cover backlog, leaving around 5,400 for regular candidates.
Qualified middle school candidates are demanding that the government increase recruitment, citing tens of thousands of vacancies and 90,000 eligible candidates. “There are 99,157 vacancies but only 10,500 proposed appointments. This is ridiculous, especially after years of delay,” one candidate said.
The selected teachers have submitted memorandums to Chief Minister’s office and plan a demonstration at the Directorate of Public Instruction (DPI) in Bhopal on January 6.
