Over 2,000 aspiring teachers protest in Bhopal:Demand increase in Madhya Pradesh teacher recruitment posts; gherao DPI over vacancies and staff shortage statewide

Over 2,000 aspiring teachers staged a protest in the state capital, demanding an increase in the number of posts in the ongoing teacher recruitment process on Tuesday.
The protesters reached Bhopal to lay siege to the Directorate of Public Instruction (DPI) and the Tribal Welfare Department, where they recited the Hanuman Chalisa as part of their demonstration.
The agitation comes amid a severe shortage of teachers in government schools and what candidates describe as an extremely low number of vacancies announced in recent recruitment exams. Allegations of large-scale vacancies, limited recruitment The protesting candidates allege that despite tens of thousands of teaching posts lying vacant, the government has announced only a fraction of the required seats, calling it “a drop in the ocean.” They argue that this not only deprives qualified candidates of employment opportunities but also adversely affects the quality of education in government schools. Protesters have warned that if the government does not take a prompt decision on their demands, the agitation may escalate into an indefinite protest or even a hunger strike. Demand to increase posts in teacher selection exams The protest centres on the recruitment process conducted by the Madhya Pradesh School Education Department and the Tribal Welfare Department for the Secondary Teacher Selection Examination (Class-2) and the Primary Teacher Selection Examination (Class-3). Anger among aspirants has been steadily growing over their demand to substantially increase the number of posts in both categories. Thousands of posts vacant, few seats advertised According to the candidates, as per a government gazette issued on December 27, 2024, nearly 99,197 secondary teacher posts and around 1,31,152 primary teacher posts are vacant across the state. However, the current recruitment drive is offering appointments to only 10,800 secondary teachers and 13,089 primary teachers. They claim that the number of advertised posts falls far short of the actual requirement, leaving thousands of eligible candidates without opportunities. Allegations of zero posts for the EWS and OBC categories The aspirants have also levelled serious allegations against the Tribal Welfare Department, claiming that in several subjects, zero posts have been shown for candidates from the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) and Other Backwards Classes (OBC).
They argue that this goes against the spirit of social justice and raises serious questions about the implementation of the reservation system, leading to widespread disappointment among youth from these communities. Direct impact on students’ education Teacher organisations supporting the protest say that the shortage of teachers is directly affecting students. In many schools, a single teacher is forced to teach multiple subjects, which compromises teaching quality and negatively impacts examination results. They also point out that the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 emphasizes improving the teacher–student ratio, a goal that cannot be achieved without adequate recruitment. Key demands of the protesters The protesting aspirants have placed several key demands before the state government, including: The protesters say their movement is aimed at improving the education system and ensuring justice for the state’s youth.