Education under pressure: India’s rural schools face severe teacher and infrastructure shortages – Education News

India faces significant challenges in its education system, characterized by shortages of both infrastructure and teaching staff, which affect the quality of education, especially in rural regions and regions with less developed economies. The Federal Advisory Panel NITI Aayog’s 2023 report highlights that there are over one million teacher vacancies in the country and rural areas are facing severe shortages – some rural schools have only one teacher, limiting individual students’ attention and the quality of education. According to a recent UNSECO report, this problem is further exacerbated by high student-teacher ratios, especially at secondary school level, where ratios often exceed 47:1, making personalized learning a challenge. “Addressing the teacher shortage in rural areas requires a combined policy and innovation effort. Central and state governments should prioritize financial incentives to attract and retain teachers. NITI Aayog suggests merging schools with too few students and optimizing teacher allocation to address widespread vacancies. Furthermore, we need to raise the status of the teaching profession through non-financial incentives, bringing it into line with other respected professions. This way we can attract top talent and create a more balanced workforce in the education sector,” Praneet Mungali, trustee and secretary, Sanskriti Group Schools, told Financial Express.

Moreover, many schools face infrastructure deficiencies due to lack of basic facilities such as libraries, ICT resources and adequate sanitation. To address this problem, NITI Aayog’s SATH-E project piloted reforms in selected states such as Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha, focusing on connecting small schools, improving teacher training and building ‘leadership schools’ that would act as models. “Although infrastructure such as classrooms, libraries and technology are crucial, the most important resource remains a well-trained, motivated teacher. Strengthening teacher education institutions, especially DIET, and capacity building of teacher education institutions should be a priority for state and central governments” – Javed Siddiqui, author of Education Lead-Transform Rural Indiahe said.

Additionally, contract employment also complicates the shortage, as nearly 69% of teachers in private schools and a significant number in government schools work without secure employment contracts, which affects teacher motivation and retention. Solutions proposed under the National Education Policy (NEP) include restructuring agreements, increased teacher training, and integration of core literacy programs to fill educational gaps. “Prioritizing the recruitment of local teachers who have a native understanding of community issues and demographics can improve education while creating local works. Additionally, using technology to supplement in-person learning in teacher-scarce areas and establishing “twinning” programs – in which leading private schools support rural schools and teachers – can support skill-building efforts through technology-based solutions. Together, these strategies offer effective ways to address teacher shortages,” Mungali explained.

According to a 2021 UNESCO report, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh stand out among the landlocked Hindi states in having the highest number of teacher vacancies. Uttar Pradesh and Bihar report over 100,000 open positions, which is the highest in the country. Moreover, over 60% of these vacancies are concentrated in rural regions, with the predominance of Uttar Pradesh being 80%. Madhya Pradesh has the largest number of single-teacher schools in the country – 21,000. Moreover, about 7.7% of kindergartens, 4.6% of primary schools and 3.3% of secondary schools employ low-skilled teachers. “The lack of coordination between different government departments often hinders progress. Greater collaboration between departments such as early childhood development (ECD), tribal welfare, panchayats, Healthand Education can result in more efficient use of resources and lasting impact,” Siddiqui said.