Vacant teacher, staff posts mar education in Koraput

Koraput: Severe shortage of teaching and non-teaching staff in schools across Koraput district has raised concerns within the district Education department, a report said.

Currently, 1,834 teaching and 143 non-teaching posts remain vacant, significantly affecting the administration and quality of education. According to official data, the district has 2,473 schools, including 1,347 primary schools.

Of the sanctioned 7,556 teaching posts, 5,722 positions are filled, while 1,834 remain vacant. This has created an acute crisis in imparting education to students, particularly in remote and tribal areas. Vacancies also exist across various levels. Among the 14 block education offices, positions are vacant in Narayanpatna, Bandhugaon, Lakshmipur, and Semiliguda blocks. Two block education officers of Dasmantpur and Borigumma blocks are retiring this month. Out of 42 additional block education officer posts, 20 are lying unfilled.

The shortage extends to subject-specific teachers as well. Out of 187 headmaster posts, 142 positions are vacant. Similarly, among 371 TGT (Arts) positions, 24 posts are lying vacant. Similarly, out of 247 TGT (PCM) posts, 21 positions remain unfilled; and 27 out of 161 TGT (CBZ) posts are also lying vacant. There are also 40 vacancies among 188 classical language teachers, 55 among 169 Hindi teachers, and 48 among 181 PET posts.

Frequent inter-district transfers have further exacerbated the crisis, with many teachers opting to move to their native districts, leaving local posts vacant. Administrative posts are also understaffed. Of the 18 senior assistant posts at the district and block offices, seven are lying vacant.

Among 130 junior assistants, 30 positions remain vacant. The offices also lack six section officers out of 15, along with 14 vacancies in clerical staff and 86 posts for fourth-grade employees in schools. Despite ongoing programs and policies by the state government aimed at improving education in tribal-dominated districts like Koraput, the persistent staff shortage raises questions about the feasibility of delivering quality education. Meanwhile, six posts of block education officers out of 14 posts are lying vacant in the district.

With state School and Mass Education Minister Nityananda Gond hailing from Koraput, local intellectuals and stakeholders are urging immediate action to fill the vacancies and boost the district’s literacy rate. Kedar Senapati, a guardian from the district, said parents and guardians are increasingly concerned about the shortage of teachers and other staff as the scarcity would seriously impact students’ education. Senapati expressed apprehension that the lack of teaching staff may also hinder the proper implementation of the National Education Policy-2020 in the district, even though Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan is from Odisha, while Koraput native Nityanand Gond is the state’s Education Minister. When contacted, District Education Officer Prasant Kumar Mohanty said he has informed the Education Department about the shortage of teachers and staff. “I have urged officials to fill the vacant positions as soon as possible,” Mohanty added.

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