The Gujarat government has revealed a shortage of primary teachers in several talukas, with Poshina in Sabarkantha district facing the highest deficit.
According to the government’s response in the state assembly on Wednesday, Poshina, a remote tribal-populated taluka near the inter-state border, has been experiencing a shortfall of 180 primary teachers for the past six months.
In contrast, other talukas, including Himmatnagar, Idar, Prantij, and Talod, have only one teacher shortage each, while Vadali has a deficit of two teachers, Vijaynagar five, and Khedbrahma six.
The government also informed that five schools in Poshina are being operated with just a single teacher each.
Additionally, Una taluka in Gir Somnath district has a shortage of 158 primary teachers, while Gir Gadhda taluka requires 115 more teachers for classes 1 to 5. To address these vacancies, the state has appointed Gyan Sahayaks on a contract basis and is in the process of recruiting 13,852 Vidhya Sahayaks.
Concerns over school infrastructure were also highlighted in the assembly during the Question Hour.
The government disclosed that 337 government primary schools in the state are operating with only one classroom. Responding to a question from Congress MLA Shailesh Parmar regarding the number of such schools as of December 31, 2024, the government stated that 327 primary schools are currently functioning with a single classroom.
It attributed this issue to low student-teacher ratios and land unavailability but assured that new classrooms would be constructed in phases over the coming years.
Further infrastructure concerns were raised by BJP MLA Rajendrasinh Rathva regarding schools in Chhota Udepur district.
The government responded that 215 schools in the district rely on folding partitions instead of proper classrooms, with many of these partitions severely damaged and unfit for students. It also noted that no proposals for new classroom construction had been submitted by the respective School Management Committees.
Also Read: Gujarat’s UCC Committee Begins Work, Seeks Public Input via Online Portal
