Haryana faces teacher shortage with 20,000 vacancies

Government schools in Haryana are facing a serious shortage of teachers and staff, with over 20,000 positions currently vacant. This issue was brought to light during a session of the Haryana Vidhan Sabha when Congress MLA Pooja questioned the government about staffing problems in the education sector. The state has 14,295 government schools, including various types of institutions. However, many of these schools struggle to operate properly due to the lack of teachers and administrative staff. Out of the 37,738 positions available for Post Graduate Teachers (PGT), only 29,219 are filled, leaving 8,519 positions empty. Similarly, there is a shortage of Trained Graduate Teachers (TGT) and Primary Teachers (PRT), with thousands of vacancies still open. Leadership roles in schools are also not fully staffed. There are only 157 headmasters in place out of 916 positions and 574 principal roles remain vacant. Additionally, non-teaching staff shortages add to the issue, with hundreds of clerical and Class IV positions unfilled. In response, Education Minister Mahipal Dhanda announced plans to address these shortages. He stated that all vacant principal and headmaster positions will be filled through promotions in the next academic year. The government has also requested to fill nearly 4,800 PGT positions through the Haryana Public Service Commission. Moreover, the recruitment of TGTs is underway, with 3,371 being considered for promotion to PGT posts and 3,427 new TGT positions set to be filled. In regions like Mewat, where primary teacher shortages are severe, efforts are being made to fill 1,456 teacher vacancies. The minister also mentioned that all clerk positions have been filled, and promotion opportunities for Class IV employees are being processed.