More than one in four teacher posts for Classes XI and XII are vacant in Haryana government schools, according to the minutes of the Project Approval Board (PAB) meeting on the Annual Work Plan & Budget (AWP&B) 2026-27 of Samagra Shiksha for Haryana, circulated on June 23. Out of 21,311 sanctioned posts at the senior secondary stage, 5,573 (26.2%) remain unfilled.
Vacancy rates across education levels
At the elementary level (Classes I-VIII), the teacher vacancy rate is 14%, with 8,449 of 60,396 sanctioned posts vacant. For secondary classes (IX-X), 2,413 of 19,792 posts (12.2%) are unfilled. The PAB advised the state to expedite recruitment. Haryana Principal Secretary Vijay Singh Dahiya informed that recruitment is underway and vacancies will be filled soon.
Single-teacher schools surge
The number of single-teacher government primary schools has increased drastically from 696 in 2023-24 to 968 in 2024-25, constituting 11% of the state's government primary schools. The PAB requested a detailed review and corrective measures to ensure compliance with RTE norms. The percentage of government primary schools with an adverse pupil-to-teacher ratio (PTR) also rose from 21.5% in 2023-24 to 22.1% in 2024-25.
Vacancies in teacher education institutions
In the state's 21 functional District Institutes of Education and Training (DIETs), the vacancy rate increased to 62% in 2025-26 from 59% in 2024-25. For academic positions in the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT), the vacancy rate stands at 33%, down from 49% in 2024-25. Additional Secretary (School Education and Literacy) Dheeraj Sahu advised filling these vacancies at the earliest with competent teacher educators or through deputation.
Low enrolment and out-of-school children
As per UDISE+ 2024-25, the number of government primary and upper primary schools with fewer than 15 and fewer than 30 enrolments, respectively, has increased. Principal Secretary Vijay Singh Dahiya said the state is strengthening cluster schools and providing free transport. There are 63 habitations without access to primary schools, 112 without upper primary schools, 132 villages without secondary schools, and 215 without higher secondary schools. In 66 functional Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBVs), 1,963 (23%) of 8,660 seats are vacant. Two functional Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Awasiya Vidyalayas have 53% of seats vacant.
Inclusive education concerns
The state has only a 0.37% (21,625) share of children with special needs (CwSN) enrolment in total student enrolment, with a significant decline across almost all grades. Only 6% of teachers are trained in inclusive education, and 515 special educators cover 1,359 (5.8%) schools. Out of 23,494 schools, 17,676 (75%) have ramps and 12,451 (53%) have CwSN-friendly toilets. The PAB noted the declining enrolment at higher grades as a serious concern and advised strengthening measures to increase CwSN identification and enrolment. The Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) data shows 3.44 lakh out-of-school children aged 14-18, but the state has proposed open schooling support for only 2,000 dropouts in the PAB Plan 2026-27.
Spillover and stalled works
The state has a huge spillover of Rs 691.88 crore from previous years. Out of Rs 887.71 crore approved, only Rs 195.82 crore has been spent. Of 71 works sanctioned in 2025-26, 67 have yet to start, and 2,746 works from earlier years remain pending. The PAB directed that all pending civil works from 2018-19 to 2020-21 be reviewed, and unstarted or converged works be cancelled. No new non-recurring activities can be proposed until spillover works are completed.
