Lok Sabha Question No. 5835 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-30
Subject: Teacher Availability in Remote Regions
Ministry: EDUCATION
Asked by: Shri Ummeda Ram Beniwal

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION

## DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION & LITERACY

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO:- 5835

ANSWERED ON-30/03/2026

## Teacher Availability in Remote Regions

## 5835. Shri Ummeda Ram Beniwal:

Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:

(a)  whether  it  is  a  fact  that  teacher  vacancies  are  higher  in  schools  located  in  remote areas/districts, if so, the details thereof;

(b) whether it is a fact that districts, such as Barmer and Jaisalmer in Rajasthan face persistent shortages of teachers, if so, the details thereof;

(c) whether it is a fact that rational deployment policies of teachers are effective, if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor; and

(d) whether any special incentives are proposed by the Government to attract teachers to work in difficult areas and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

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

(a) to (d): Education is a subject in the Concurrent List of the Constitution and the majority of schools are under the administrative control of the respective State Governments and Union Territory Administrations. Accordingly, matters relating to recruitment, service conditions and deployment of teachers, including in the fall within the administrative domain of the concerned States/UTs.

Vacancies of teachers arise from time to time due to factors such as retirement, resignation, creation of new posts, rationalisation and increased enrolment, including in rural and remote areas.  The  data  regarding  teacher  vacancies,  including  State-wise  and  district-wise  details, including in the districts of Barmer and Jaisalmer of the State of Rajasthan, is maintained by the  respective  States/UTs.  States/UTs  are  encouraged  by  the  Central  Government  to  adopt measures such as school complex/cluster-based approaches and teacher-sharing mechanisms to address localised shortages, including in remote areas.

The Central  Government periodically  reviews  the  progress  relating  to  filling  up  of  teacher vacancies with States/UTs through meetings and advisories, emphasising timely recruitment through  transparent  and  merit-based  processes  supported  by  technology-based  teacher requirement planning and forecasting exercises.

Further,  the  Central  Government  provides  financial  assistance  to  States/UTs  under  the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Samagra Shiksha to maintain appropriate Pupil-Teacher Ratio

(PTR) at various levels of schooling in accordance with the norms prescribed under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009.

Para 2.3 of the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020 emphasises maintaining a PTR of under 30:1  in  each  school  and  under  25:1  in  areas  with  a  high  proportion  of  socio-economically disadvantaged students. As per UDISE+ 2024-25, the PTR at the national level is 10 at the Foundational stage, 13 at the Preparatory stage, 17 at the Middle stage and 21 at the Secondary stage.

Further, as per UDISE+ 2024-25, the PTR in the State of Rajasthan is 9, 11, 12 and 16, while in Barmer district it is 7, 12, 16 and 24, and in Jaisalmer district it is 7, 11, 13 and 18 at the Foundational, Preparatory, Middle and Secondary stages respectively. These are within the norms envisaged under NEP 2020.

Under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Samagra Shiksha, support is provided under the Access and Retention component for construction and strengthening of residential quarters for teachers,  particularly  in  sparsely  populated,  hilly,  forested  and  border  areas  with  difficult terrain.  Special  emphasis  is  laid  on  the  deployment  of  female  teachers  and  provision  of residential facilities for them in remote locations, with a view to addressing gender, social and regional disparities in access to school education. These provisions serve as important nonmonetary incentives for improving the availability and retention of teachers in such challenging areas.

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