Lok Sabha Question No. 2528 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-12-15
Subject: Shortage of Teachers in Primary Schools
Ministry: EDUCATION
Asked by: Smt. Krishna Devi Shivshankar Patel

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION & LITERACY

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO:- 2528

ANSWERED ON-15/12/2025

## Shortage of Teachers in Primary Schools

†2528. Smt. Krishna Devi Shivshankar Patel:

Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:

(a) the number of posts advertised for vacancies of primary and upper-primary level teachers from 2018 till date along with the details of selection process and the current status thereof;

(b) whether the Government is aware that a large number of Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) /Central Teacher Eligibility Test (CTET) qualified candidates remain unemployed due to a long gap in teacher recruitment in Uttar Pradesh, if so, the details thereof;

(c) whether there is an acute shortage of teachers in primary schools in Banda and Chitrakoot districts of Uttar Pradesh and if so, the total number of sanctioned posts, teachers working and vacant posts in both the districts and if so, the details thereof; and

(d)  whether  the  Government  proposes  to  coordinate  with  the  State  Government  of  Uttar Pradesh to finalise a time-bound programme for the early appointment of TET/CTET qualified candidates and if so, the proposed timeline in this regard?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION (SHRI JAYANT CHAUDHARY)

(a)  to  (d):  Education  being  a  subject  in  the  Concurrent  List  of  the  Constitution,  an overwhelming majority of the schools in the country comes under the administrative control of States/UTs. Therefore, the recruitment, service conditions and rational deployment of teachers come  under  the  purview  of  the  respective  State  governments/UT  administrations.  Further, recruitment  is  a  continuous  process  and  vacancies  arise  due  to  a  number  of  factors  like retirement, resignation, increased requirement of teachers because of the enhanced students' strength, etc. The data regarding the number of posts advertised for vacancies of primary and upper-primary level teachers from 2018 till date across the country along with the details of selection process and the current status thereof, including in the State of Uttar Pradesh, are maintained by the respective States/UTs.

The Government periodically  advises States/UTs to fill vacant posts of teachers,  to ensure timely  recruitment  of  teachers  by  adopting  a  transparent  and  merit-based  process  through autonomous teacher recruitment boards or similar organisations. The progress regarding filling up of teacher vacancies through a competitive selection examination conducted by States/UTs, with due care for consistency and sanctity and after a technology based comprehensive teacher requirement  planning  and  forecasting  exercise,  is  periodically  reviewed  through  regular meetings with States/UTs as well as through advisories.

In order to ensure quality, the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) vide Gazette notification dated 23 rd August, 2010, as amended from time to time, has laid down minimum qualification for a person to be eligible for appointment as a teacher.

Further,  the  Government  through  the  Centrally  Sponsored  Scheme  of  Samagra  Shiksha, provides financial assistance to the States and UTs to maintain appropriate Pupil-Teacher Ratio (PTR) for various levels of schooling, as per norms prescribed in the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, as amended from time to time.

Para  2.3  of  the  National  Education  Policy  (NEP),  2020  has  emphasized  to  ensure  a  pupilteacher ratio (PTR) of under 30:1 in each school and a PTR of under 25:1 for areas having large numbers of socio-economically disadvantaged students. The PTR of the country has improved from 27:1 as per the UDISE+ 2022-23 report to 10 at Foundational, 13 at Preparatory, 14 at Middle and 21 at Secondary stage as per the UDISE+ 2024-25 report.

*****