Bhubaneswar: School and Mass Education Minister Nityananda Gond Friday informed the Assembly that the state government will fill 10,000 vacant teaching positions in the high schools across the state in near future.
Responding to a query raised by BJD MLA Byomkesh Ray, Gond said that a total of 6,025 teacher posts remain vacant out of 40,166 sanctioned posts in the high schools across the state. This is part of the state government’s broader initiative to enhance the quality of education by addressing the shortage of teachers in government schools. The minister also highlighted that over 18,000 teachers have already been appointed since the BJP government assumed office, further bolstering the teaching workforce. The upcoming recruitment will include 1,375 Post Graduate Teacher (PGT) positions in various governments and upgraded higher secondary schools, along with 1,061 PGT posts in aided higher secondary schools.
On Chandabali Assembly constituency, Gond revealed that 163 teacher posts are vacant across 327 schools there. Efforts are underway to address these vacancies through new appointments and promotions. In addition to teacher recruitment, the minister shared positive developments regarding the state’s school dropout rates. He stated that in the past five years, Odisha has made significant progress in reducing dropout rates. For the 2023-24 fiscal year, primary schools in the state reported a 0% dropout rate.
Additionally, dropout rates in upper primary (2%) and secondary schools (12.8%) were considerably lower than national averages of 1.9%, 5.2%, and 14.1%, respectively. On the issue of reopening of schools, particularly those closed under the previous government’s merger scheme, the minister assured the House that the state government would evaluate district-level proposals and consider public demands before making any decisions. He clarified that these schools could be reopened if there are at least 20 children in scheduled areas and 40 children in non-scheduled areas. However, he emphasised that schools closed under the merger scheme would only reopen if the required number of students enrolled.
