SHIMLA: At least 150 schools in India’s Himachal Pradesh are operating without a single teacher, while another 3,500 have only one teacher, highlighting significant staffing shortages across the Himalayan state.
According to Indian media, the issue was raised in the Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly, where opposition BJP lawmaker Reena Kashyap said several schools in her constituency were functioning without teachers.
Education Minister Rohit Thakur acknowledged shortages in remote areas despite saying Himachal Pradesh has India’s best pupil-teacher ratio of 1:10.
India’s Himachal Faces Teacher Shortage
Thakur said the government was attempting to fill vacancies through rationalisation and had already recruited around 9,000 teachers. Another 6,500 teachers are expected to be appointed before the government’s current term ends.
However, official figures presented during the debate showed that 150 schools remain without teachers and 3,500 operate with only one.
Another 2,500 schools have fewer than 15 students.
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Kashyap said 12 schools in her Pachhad constituency had no teachers, including several with more than 40 students. In some areas, she said, parents were pooling their own money to hire teachers.
She also highlighted vacancies for principals and lecturers.
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said the government was developing a policy to appoint teachers at single-teacher schools.
The figures underscore the difficulties India’s mountainous regions face in ensuring adequate teaching staff, particularly in remote communities.
