Parliamentary panel advises Centre to recruit 10 lakh teachers in SSA-funded schools

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education has exhorted the Education Department to recruit the 10 lakh teaching positions vacant in the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA)-funded schools of different States.

Close to 7.5 lakh posts are present in the primary and elementary stages of these National Education Mission schools.

The Committee, which is headed by MP Digvijaya Singh and includes 31 Lok Sabha MPs and 10 Rajya Sabha MPs, presented its report to the Lower House on August 8 and to the Upper House on the same day.

This is the 368th report of the committee and is on the subject, "The functioning of National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) and initiatives taken to support training of teachers in light of NEP 2020's thrust on Capacity Building of Teachers."

There was no enhancement of filling up of vacancy posts in these SSA-financed schools of the state Governments notwithstanding repeated suggestions by the Committee in its 349th and 363rd Reports to fill them within time, the Committee noted.

The vacancy position "is increasing day by day due to retirement of teachers and due to lack of a permanent recruitment policy."

The panel thus advised the Education Department "to take up the issue of teacher vacancies in SSA-funded schools of the State Governments forcefully." The teachers' salary component of SSA funds of the States that fail to implement the directions of the Department to fill up the vacancies may be put in abeyance until the respective States act as per the directives of the Centre, it further added.

Among 14.8 lakh schools, only approximately 3,000 schools are governed by the Government of India. "In this regard, the Committee is forced to observe that the percentage of vacancies in the Government of India-governed schools such as Kendriya Vidyalayas (KVs), Navodaya Vidyalayas (NVs) etc., are also critical. There are total 30% to 50% vacancies in KVs and NVs also," it added.

It has set a deadline of March 31, 2026, to fill regular/permanent teachers here and provide information to the committee.

The Committee demanded an end to contractual appointments in the KVs, NVs as well as SSA-financed schools saying they go against Constitutional provision of reservation in Government jobs to SC, ST, OBC, PwD and EWS categories.