Ballari schools face acute teacher shortage with 2.4k posts lying vacant

Ballari: Govt schools in Ballari district are facing a severe shortage of teachers, with 2,409 posts lying vacant in primary schools and 551 in govt high schools. This shortage has forced many institutions to depend on guest teachers to conduct classes.Official data shows Ballari has 595 govt lower and upper primary schools with 86,184 students. Of the 4,608 sanctioned teaching posts, only 2,559 are full, leaving 2,049 vacancies.The district also has 125 govt high schools with 19,771 students. Against 1,263 sanctioned posts, only 712 teachers are in service.More than one lakh students depend on govt schools in the district, where free education, midday meals, textbooks and uniforms are provided.

However, the growing shortage of teachers has left several schools without adequate staff, and many do not even have guest teachers.In several schools, a single teacher handles multiple classes. Many institutions also lack permanent teachers for Mathematics, Science, English and Social Science, forcing authorities to rely on guest teachers whenever they are available.Parents say reliance on guest teachers affects academic continuity because their appointments are temporary.

“Some leave midway through the academic year or move on to other opportunities, disrupting classroom teaching,” said Basavaraj Bennur, a parent.Vacancies that crop us due to transfers and retirements have also remained unfilled for long periods.This shortage has affected implementation of initiatives under the National Education Policy, including activity-based learning, digital education, and foundational literacy and numeracy.

Teachers say completing the prescribed syllabus on time has become increasingly difficult.They also contend that a perceived decline in the quality of education in govt schools is driving even rural families towards private institutions despite the higher cost of those schools. They have urged the state govt to fill teacher vacancies and strengthen public schools.There was no response when TOI tried to contact DDPI Umadevi B.Retired govt schoolteacher VNT Prakash said the state govt should strengthen govt schools to bring them on a par with private institutions. He also urged elected representatives from the district to raise the issue in the legislature to ensure quality education for students.