90% sanctioned headmaster posts in state's govt schools lying vacant

GURGAON: Almost 90% of govt schools in the state are running without headmasters, a report by the management information system has revealed. According to the Oct 16 report, only 93 of the 916 sanctioned headmaster posts are filled, exposing students and teachers to a lack of guidance and administrative support.The leadership vacuum is just one part of a broader staff crisis faced by schools. Across the state, nearly 30,000 teaching posts are vacant out of a total of 1.2 lakh sanctioned positions. Currently, 92,493 teachers are employed, including 81,388 regular and 11,105 guest teachers.

Officials agreed that the growing dependence on temporary staff highlighted govt's struggle to maintain basic educational standards.

The situation is particularly acute among trained graduate teachers (TGTs), where nearly one in three posts - 14,187 out of 42,067 - are vacant. Post-graduate teachers (PGTs) are also in short supply, with 9,818 of 38,861 posts vacant. Primary teachers and head teachers face a shortfall of 5,461 out of 37,940 positions.Subject-specific shortages are even more alarming. In PGT computer science, more than 80% of posts are vacant, while TGT science, drawing, English, and social studies each face over a thousand vacancies.

Teachers said these gaps had left schools struggling to function. "Without a headmaster, decision-making, coordination, and discipline all suffer. Teachers are left to manage administrative work on top of classes," said a TGT teacher from Hisar.Another senior educator added, "We are overburdened. In some schools, one teacher is handling classes meant for three."To address the crisis, the govt is relying on Haryana Kaushal Rojgar Nigam (HKRN), which has deployed 6,667 contractual teachers, including 5,538 TGTs and 1,129 PGTs.Educators, however, warned that these short-term measures were not a lasting solution. "Contractual staff lack job security and motivation. The real issue is the delay in regular recruitment drives," said a PGT teacher.The impact on students is profound. "Without regular subject teachers and leadership, students lose interest and confidence. Continuity in learning is badly hit," said a JBT teacher.