Gurugram: Shortage of teaching staff plagues primary schools

Primary schools across the district are struggling with an acute shortage of teachers, affecting the quality of education and leaving students without necessary academic support, said the teacher’s union representatives. This crisis has reportedly been building for nearly eight years, as the absence of teacher rationalisation for classes one to five and no new appointments following recent teacher promotions have compounded the issue, according to members of the Rajkiya Prathmik Shikshak Sangh, a national primary teachers’ union.

A delegation from the teachers’ union, led by president Tarun Suhag and district president Ashok Kumar, met with Haryana education minister Mahipal Dhanda at his residence in Panipat on Sunday to address these pressing concerns.

Ashok Kumar, district president of the union, described the shortage’s impact on students. “The lack of teachers is directly impacting our students,” he said. “Many children sit without proper lessons, or they are grouped into large classes where one teacher cannot give them adequate attention.” Kumar added that the teacher shortage has widened educational gaps and placed an additional burden on the remaining teachers.

Some schools are especially strained by the shortage. According to data shared by the teachers’ union, the government primary school in Aklimpur, for instance, has only one teacher for its 142 students. Meanwhile, the government primary school in Ullawas has two teachers for 302 students, with the one in Khaintawas having a single teacher for 72 students, while the school in Kheranki Khedli has four teachers for 203 students. These inadequate teacher-to-student ratios make it challenging to deliver quality education and maintain balanced schedules, leaving students with minimal guidance, said teachers’ union leaders.

Haryana currently has about 30,000 vacant teaching positions across government schools, with the last Haryana Teacher Eligibility Test (HTET) being conducted in 2023. Gurugram has around 1,000 of these vacancies. In 2024, HTET is set for December 7 and 8.

The situation has far-reaching implications, said Dushyant Thakran, a retired primary teacher and union member. “Primary education is the foundation of learning,” he said. “When there are not enough teachers, we are putting students at a disadvantage, affecting not just their primary education but their entire educational journey. The state needs to act urgently.”

During their meeting with the education minister Dhanda, union leaders presented several demands, including the release of an updated list of promoted teachers, ensuring steady appointments of permanent teachers in single-teacher schools, and the provision of sanitation staff in primary schools. “I will raise these issues with education department officials and schedule a follow-up meeting in Chandigarh soon,” Dhanda said.

Meanwhile, parents and students are also feeling the impact. Renu Singh, whose two children attend the government primary school in Aklimpur, expressed her worries. “I am really worried about my kids’ education,” she said. “With only one teacher in the school, my children come home with many questions that have not been answered.” A student of class 5 at the government primary school in Ullawas highlighted the gap in their education due to the shortage. “We wait in line to ask questions, but the teacher has so many other students. I sometimes cannot follow the lessons and feel behind,” the student said.

Muni Ram, district elementary education officer, said, “While some schools may face staffing challenges, this is relatively rare in Gurugram. Most schools here have a sufficient number of teachers to meet their educational needs.” However, when asked about the measures to mitigate the lack of teaching staff in certain schools, the officials said that they cannot comment about the issue at this time.