Teacher jobs elude 3 lakh qualified candidates in Telangana

Hyderabad: Despite the commencement of the new academic year over a month ago, the State government has not yet issued any notice regarding teacher recruitment in government schools, causing growing apprehension among teachers. This delay is especially worrisome considering the existing shortage of teachers in schools. As a result, approximately three lakh qualified candidates across the State find themselves awaiting employment opportunities in the teaching profession.

Government teachers in Telangana have voiced their concerns regarding the lack of progress in teacher recruitment since the formation of the state in 2017. Despite the release of a recruitment notification in 2017, which filled approximately 8,792 teaching positions, no further notifications have been issued to address the significant number of vacancies that currently exist. This delay has resulted in a staggering 22,000 vacant teaching positions across Telangana.

Ramesh, who has been awaiting for teacher recruitment notification, said, “I have been waiting for the recruitment notification for the last two years, even after qualifying in the exam still we are waiting to get an appropriate job, I am vexed of submitting representation letters to the state government regarding teacher recruitment notification,” same was quoted by Jyothi, another qualified candidate.

Chava Ravi, general secretary, Telangana State United Teachers’ Federation (TSUTF), said, “The persistent demand to fill vacant teacher positions in every government school has been a longstanding issue, yet the state government has yet to take decisive action. The prevailing shortage of teachers places immense pressure on the existing educators, as they are compelled to handle larger class sizes and increased responsibilities. Moreover, thousands of principal and school assistant positions have remained vacant for an extended period, causing significant hardships for subject teachers and students alike.

The delay in addressing these critical vacancies has resulted in adverse consequences, affecting both the quality of education and the overall functioning of schools. Despite the anticipation that transfers would be resolved prior to the summer break, they continue to linger unresolved even after the commencement of the academic year.”

“Recently the Ministry of Education has released the performance and grading index 2.0 pertaining to the year 2021-22. According to PGI 2.0, Telangana State stood in 31st place among 37 places in India with very poor scores. In all the six domains they have taken as parameters for measuring the educational standards Telangana State couldn’t even attain the average score. The major reason for this is thousands of teaching vacancies in school education. This can be addressed only by taking up the promotions process for the seniors waiting for about more than 20 years in the single cadre. Later to give the notification to the total resultant teacher posts to fulfill the aspirations of the lakhs of youth awaiting the jobs,” said M Ravinder, additional general secretary, TPTF.