Shortage of 10 lakh teachers in the country: Preparation for merger of schools on a large scale

Niti Aayog has recommended major changes in the education system and suggested merging small and low enrollment schools with nearby schools and rationalizing teacher recruitment.

The suggestions received from three states have been included in the report of continuous action for changes in education given to the government by NITI Aayog.

It was stated in this report that merger of schools with low enrollment will lead to development of schools and will also save money.

According to the report, the number of schools in India is five times that of China for the same enrolment. Along with this, in many states, enrollment is more than 60 in 50 percent of the schools.

Referring to the condition of schools in the report, it was said that in such schools one or two teachers fulfill all the responsibilities. Teachers also perform administrative work in the absence of the Headmaster. In such a situation, he is unable to remain accountable for his studies.

NITI Aayog mentioned the shortage in the number of teachers in the report. It was reported in the report that there is a shortage of more than 10 lakh teachers in the country.

In many states, 30 to 50 percent of teachers’ posts are vacant. The report said that in many states, there are more teachers than required in urban areas, but the posts of teachers are lying vacant in rural areas. Teachers can be sent to rural areas only by making appointments on the posts of teachers. In such a situation, the education system can be improved only by integration of schools.

The report said that following the recommendations of NITI Aayog, 4380 schools were merged in Jharkhand.

This resulted in a saving of Rs 400 crore. Similarly, 35,000 schools in Madhya Pradesh were identified for integration. Only 20 percent of these schools had headmasters.

After integration of 16000 schools, 55 percent of the schools had headmasters. In Odisha, the government has integrated the schools running on the same campus.

This has been of great benefit. NITI Aayog says that state governments should develop schools by unifying schools. Along with this, transportation arrangements should also be made so that students do not face any problem in reaching schools.