Daijiworld Media Network- Chandigarh

Chandigarh, Mar 4: A rationalisation exercise conducted by the Haryana Elementary Education Department has revealed alarming figures, with 487 government primary schools operating without a single teacher and 294 schools having no students enrolled in the current academic session.

According to the department’s data, even after the reallocation of teaching posts, government primary face a tentative shortage of 2,262 teachers. Presently, Haryana has 7,18,964 students enrolled in 8,185 government schools, with 25,762 teachers, bringing the student-teacher ratio to approximately 28:1.

As part of the rationalisation process, the government has reduced 5,313 teaching posts for primary schools, lowering the total count from 37,487 to 32,174. However, a senior official clarified that these positions have not been abolished but reallocated for better efficiency in the upcoming academic session.

District-wise data highlights the severity of the issue: Yamunanagar has the highest number of schools without a teacher (79), followed by Panchkula (45) and Kurukshetra (34). Similarly, Yamunanagar also leads with the highest number of schools without a single student (32), followed by Ambala (22) and Hisar (17).

Additionally, 1,095 schools in the state have less than 20 students, with Yamunanagar (132) topping the list, followed by Panchkula (64) and Karnal (62). Interestingly, Panchkula is the only district with a surplus of 88 teaching posts.

Expressing concern, Hariom Rathi, state president of the Haryana Primary Adhyapak Sangh, has urged the government not to abolish the rationalised posts, emphasizing the need for maintaining adequate teaching staff in schools to ensure quality education.