RAIPUR: Amid the ongoing rationalisation of schools, the Chhattisgarh government has announced phased recruitment of teachers to strengthen the state’s education system. In the first phase, 5,000 teachers will be appointed to accelerate teaching and learning and ensure quality education. Preparations for the recruitment drive are underway, according to the education department. The government is implementing rationalisation of schools and teachers to ensure optimal use of resources and improve access to quality education. The process involves redeploying teachers to institutions with high student numbers and merging schools with very low enrolment, ensuring no school remains understaffed. Chhattisgarh has 30,700 primary schools with an average student-teacher ratio (STR) of 21.84 and 13,149 upper primary schools with an STR of 26.2—both better than the national average. However, 212 primary and 48 upper primary schools currently function without any teachers. Additionally, 6,872 primary and 255 upper primary schools have only one teacher, while 362 schools operate with teachers but no students. In urban areas, while 527 schools have a STR of 10 or less and 837 schools have an STR of 21–30, 245 schools face overcrowding with an STR of 40 or more. These imbalances highlight the need for better teacher distribution. Under rationalisation, teachers from schools with surplus staff but low enrolment are being transferred to schools facing acute teacher shortages. The move aims to reduce costs, improve resource use, and enhance education quality. Integrating primary to higher secondary classes within one campus will also reduce dropouts by eliminating repeated admission processes and providing continuity in education. Improved infrastructure—such as better classrooms, labs, and libraries—is also planned under this initiative. The education department clarified that only 166 out of 10,463 government schools will be merged: 133 rural schools with fewer than 10 students and a nearby alternative within one kilometre, and 33 urban schools with fewer than 30 students and another school within 500 metres. The remaining 10,297 schools will continue to function as usual. This rationalisation initiative is being implemented across both rural and urban areas to ensure equitable distribution of teachers and infrastructure. Schools unable to offer quality education due to low enrolment are being merged with nearby, better-performing schools to improve the learning environment. The government says the process will ensure that every school has adequate, subject-specific teachers and access to key facilities like libraries, labs, and computers. Students from under-enrolled schools will benefit from better academic support in nearby schools. The aim is to provide every child with quality education and make the education system more efficient, inclusive, and robust across the state. The Chhattisgarh Sarv Shikshak Sajha Manch has launched protest demonstrations across all district headquarters against the ongoing teacher counselling process under the state’s rationalisation drive. Virendra Dubey, State President of the Shaley Shikshak Sangh, informed that the teachers had initially planned to protest at divisional headquarters. However, as the state government did not address their demands and began counselling at the district level under the supervision of respective District Collectors, the teachers decided to hold dharnas at the district headquarters instead.
