Surplus Teachers in MP's Urban Schools While Rural Areas Face Shortage; Government Plans Transfers

Bhopal- The disparity in the distribution of teachers in Madhya Pradesh's government schools has emerged as a significant problem. While schools in many districts are overstaffed with teachers, others remain understaffed. This imbalance has adversely affected the educational system in rural areas. To address this issue, the School Education Department has decided to transfer surplus teachers to schools facing a shortage through a counselling process.

In 2022, the School Education Department implemented an online transfer process, through which approximately 36,000 teachers were voluntarily transferred online. However, many rural teachers relocated to large cities where there were already enough teachers. As a result, the number of surplus teachers in metropolitan schools doubled. These teachers could not find placements in schools, worsening the situation.

After this transfer process, many rural schools faced a shortage of teachers, severely impacting the educational system. Even after two years, the department has been unsuccessful in relocating these surplus teachers to the appropriate schools. Additionally, the education portal has not been updated, leading to ongoing discrepancies.

In many major cities in Madhya Pradesh, the number of teachers exceeds the requirement. For instance, Indore has 1,337 surplus teachers, Gwalior 1,153, Bhopal 1,115, and Jabalpur 887. Meanwhile, districts such as Balaghat, Satna, Rewa, Sagar, Chhindwara, Ujjain, Rajgarh, Bhind, Morena, and Dewas have an excess of teachers, while rural schools remain understaffed. Approximately 22,000 government schools in the state are being managed by just one teacher, and nearly 3,500 schools have no students, yet teachers are assigned there.

To resolve these issues, the Education Department now plans to transfer surplus teachers to schools facing a shortage through a counseling process. This process will also include teachers from schools with no students, who will be transferred to schools where they are needed.

Commissioner of the Directorate of Public Instruction, Shilpa Gupta, stated that surplus teachers will be relocated to schools where there is a shortage of teachers through counselling. Additionally, teachers from schools with no students are being transferred to other schools. The department's goal is to ensure an equal distribution of teachers across all schools, so that all children in the state can receive quality education.