Chhattisgarh to recruit 5,000 teachers: CM Sai

Raipur, June 1 (IANS) The Chhattisgarh government has announced the recruitment of 5,000 new teachers, with Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, instructing officials to initiate the process soon. 

This announcement was made during the conclusion of the 'Sushasan Tihar' campaign, a state-wide initiative aimed at bringing governance closer to the people.

The Chief Minister shared this decision on social media, emphasising that the recruitment of teachers is just the beginning of a larger effort to improve education in the state.

One of the key decisions taken during the campaign was the rationalisation of schools, a move expected to significantly influence the state's educational future.

The government has also decided to recruit teachers in phases, with the first phase involving the hiring of 5,000 teachers.

However, the announcement has sparked controversy.

State Congress has criticised the move, claiming that it will lead to the elimination of over 45,000 teaching positions across the state.

On the state government's rationalisation drive, Congress leader and former Deputy Chief Minister TS Singh Deo had told IANS, "This is not a new attempt. Even during the BJP regime, around 2,000–2,500 schools were shut down in the name of rationalisation. The same effort is now being repeated."

While removing teachers from schools where their numbers exceed sanctioned posts is understandable, the situation is alarming in places where there are no teachers.

As per available data, out of over 56,000 government schools in Chhattisgarh, more than 5,500 are single-teacher schools, and some have no teachers at all. If this move is purely aimed at cost-cutting, it is a completely flawed and inhumane approach”.

However, the government has clarified that rationalisation of schools is aimed at adjusting student-teacher ratios, increasing the number of students per teacher from 21.48 to 30 in primary schools and from 26.2 to 35 in middle schools.

Critics argue that this will result in the elimination of one-third of existing teaching positions, effectively reducing the need for new hires.