Himachal teacher shortage leaves 150 schools empty; 3,500 with one teacher

At least 150 schools in Himachal Pradesh are operating without a teacher, while another 3,500 have only one teacher, highlighting the staffing challenges in remote areas despite the state having the country's best pupil-teacher ratio, Education Minister Rohit Thakur said in the state Assembly on Wednesday, according to PTI.

The issue came up during Zero Hour after BJP MLA Reena Kashyap raised the shortage of teachers in her Pachhad constituency and urged the government to fill vacant posts.

Responding to the issue, Thakur said Himachal Pradesh has a pupil-teacher ratio of 1:10, meaning there is one teacher for every 10 students. However, he acknowledged that remote areas continue to face staff shortages.


The government is attempting to fill vacant posts in these regions through a rationalisation process, Thakur said, adding that teacher deployment is subject to various pressures and posting orders are sometimes revised.

Thakur said the state government has filled a record 9,000 teaching posts so far and plans to recruit another 6,500 teachers before the end of its current term.

Despite these efforts, 150 schools are functioning without teachers, while 3,500 schools have only a single teacher. Another 2,500 schools have fewer than 15 students, he said.

Teacher shortage in Pachhad

Raising the issue earlier, Kashyap said 12 schools in Pachhad have no teachers, with several having more than 40 students. Parents are pooling their own money to hire teachers, she said.

There are no teachers in six schools in Narag and five in Sarahan, while several posts of principals and lecturers are also vacant, Kashyap said.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu intervened during the discussion and said the state government is formulating a policy for appointing teachers in single-teacher schools.

Sukhu also said that although Sirmaur has been designated an 'Aspirational District' by the central government, students from the district are successfully securing selection through written recruitment examinations.