Bengaluru: Nearly 22% of teachers' posts in Karnataka government schools are vacant, according to a NITI Aayog report, placing the state among those with a significant staffing gap in school education. Against the total sanctioned strength of 1,78,935 for 41,088 government primary schools, there is a shortage of 38,163 teachers.
Vacancy Breakdown
Quoting from project approval board meetings of 2025, the NITI report stated that 77% of the vacancies are in primary and upper primary schools. Of the total shortfall, 29,473 vacancies are at the elementary level and 8,690 at the secondary level.
In absolute terms, Karnataka's shortage is lower than those of Bihar, which reported 2.8 lakh vacancies, Jharkhand (99,565), Madhya Pradesh (52,019), and West Bengal (77,798). The report emphasized that states should focus on policy correctives. States such as Kerala and Delhi reported no teacher vacancies, while Telangana and Chhattisgarh did not specify figures.
Government's Recruitment Plans
The Karnataka government had earlier announced plans to recruit 15,000 teachers, but the process is yet to begin. Commissioner for School Education, Vikas Kishor Suralkar, stated: "There has been a new decision by the cabinet on internal reservation. After incorporating that, notifications will be issued. Once the nod comes from the finance department, we can complete recruitment in 100 days. We hope to fill vacancies in the latter part of the coming academic year."
Experts Raise Concerns
Educationists said the delay reflects a lack of urgency in addressing the condition of government schools. Maya Menon, founder-director of The Teacher Foundation, remarked: "We haven't seen evidence of genuine attempts to improve our schools across the state in the past three years. Committed and competent teachers are critical for improving our schools, as is thoughtful and sustained professional development of teachers. These have taken a backseat. Exam results are not an indication of what children learn in our schools."
AS Seetharamu, former faculty member at the Institute for Social and Economic Change, noted that the growing dependence on temporary appointments has contributed to the persistence of vacancies. He pointed to the expansion of guest and contract teacher appointments after the launch of the Shiksha Karmi project and Samagra Shikshana Abhiyan. "With flexibility in appointment, and with cost-effectiveness and appointments without legislative nod, a large volume of vacancies of regular teachers continued all over India. Low investments for quality schooling is the reason for vacancies," he said.
Seetharamu also highlighted a mismatch between supply and employment opportunities, noting that Karnataka has an "over-saturation" of qualified teachers waiting for government jobs, even as several DEd and BEd colleges are witnessing a decline in admissions and closures.
