Over 4.2 Lakh Teaching Posts Vacant In UP, Bihar; 35 Per Cent Primary Teachers In West Bengal Untrained, Says Study

A study conducted by the Centre for Budget and Governance Accountability (CBGA) and Child Rights and You (CRY) has raised questions over the government schools being run in six states.

The study claims that just the two states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, have a vacancy of over 4.2 lakh teaching positions, reports The Indian Express.

Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal were part of the study.

Overall, the study revealed that there is a shortage of five lakh elementary school teachers in these states, while 14 per cent of government secondary schools do not meet the mandatory minimum number of six teachers.

Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra were the best performers in filling up teaching posts, recruiting about 95 per cent of the sanctioned strength at their elementary schools.

On the other hand, Bihar was found to have the greatest proportion of untrained teachers at the elementary as well as the secondary school levels, with West Bengal emerging as the runner-up in the metric.

38.7 per cent and 35.1 per cent of Bihar’s teachers were found to be professionally unqualified at the elementary and secondary levels respectively. In case of West Bengal, 35.1 per cent of its primary teachers and 23.9 per cent of its secondary teachers are untrained.

The study noted that despite increased budgetary spending on school education at the state level, the shortage of well-qualified teachers and poor infrastructure are major issues that continue to plague public schools.