Daijiworld Media Network – Bengaluru

Bengaluru, Jan 21: A total of 59,772 teachers' posts remain vacant in Karnataka's government schools. Of these, 50,067 vacancies are in primary schools, while 9,705 are in high schools. Additionally, 6,158 schools are managed by just one teacher.

Experts attribute the shortage of teachers to insufficient facilities, which they say is adversely impacting the quality of education from primary to high school levels. They urge the Karnataka government to adopt a model similar to Kerala, which has allocated Rs 10,000 crore for comprehensive educational development. According to experts, this shortage violates the Right to Education Act, which mandates one teacher for every 30 students in primary schools and one for every 35 students in higher primary schools.

Education expert Niranjanaradhya V P stated, "There are 50,067 primary school teacher posts vacant, and by 2028-29, an additional 34,807 teachers are expected to retire. How can we maintain educational standards? If immediate action is not taken, around 80,000 posts will be vacant by 2028, further weakening government schools in Karnataka. To address the deficit, the department relies on 45,000 guest teachers, of whom 35,000 work in primary schools. Despite knowing the shortage, the government is not recruiting permanent teachers, offering guest teachers a salary of just Rs 10,000. If the government can hire 45,000 guest teachers, why can't it recruit permanent teachers?"

Niranjanaradhya added, "If allocating Rs 10,000 crore like Kerala is not feasible, the government should spread the expenditure over three years. However, shortcuts will not resolve the issue; long-term solutions are essential.

"Currently, there are only 42.92 lac students enrolled in 46,757 government schools, reflecting a declining trend in new admissions. Although English-medium classes were introduced to attract students, there has been no significant improvement in enrollment numbers. The government's actions are tarnishing the reputation of government schools."

Education minister Madhu Bangarappa noted, "In 2022, a notification was issued to recruit 15,000 graduate teachers, out of which 13,352 candidates have been deemed eligible."