Madhya Pradesh faces around 79,000 vacancies for secondary and primary teachers, with many schools in rural areas struggling due to these empty positions.
Madhya Pradesh faces a severe shortage of educators, with 1,275 schools across the state lacking any teachers at all. Additionally, around 22,000 schools are functioning with just a single teacher, highlighting a significant strain on the education system.
Efforts to enhance the educational infrastructure, such as the introduction of CM Rise Schools, which offer modern facilities and free transportation, are undermined by these critical shortages. Notably, there are 3,500 schools in Madhya Pradesh where no students are enrolled.
The state currently has approximately 79,000 vacant teaching positions for both secondary and primary levels. Even with recent recruitment of 9,000 teachers, about 70,000 positions will remain unfilled. This disparity in staffing is particularly pronounced in rural areas, while urban schools are experiencing an oversupply of teachers. For example, Indore has 1,337 teachers, Gwalior has 1,153, Bhopal has 1,115, and Jabalpur has 887. Other districts like Satna, Balaghat, and Rewa also have an excess of teachers.
Compounding the problem are infrastructure deficiencies: 20% of schools lack toilets, and where toilets do exist, 35.9% are non-functional due to a lack of water. Additionally, 28.4% of schools do not provide separate toilets for girls, and 5,176 schools lack drinking water facilities. Moreover, 44,754 schools do not have playgrounds.
Upendra Kaushal, Executive President of the Government Teachers’ Union, criticizes the state’s education system, describing it as a mess. He notes that while some schools have just one or two teachers, the surplus teacher issue persists, further complicating the situation and negatively impacting children’s education.
