Parliament Question: Shortage of Teachers and basic facilities in Government Schools

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION & LITERACY LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO:- 2502 ANSWERED ON-03/08/2026 Shortage of Teachers and basic facilities in Government Schools †2502. Smt. Geniben Nagaji Thakor: Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state: (a) whether a large number of Government schools in the country are facing shortages of teachers and lack of basic facilities such as toilets, drinking water, electricity, digital classrooms and laboratories; (b) if so, the details of vacant posts of teachers and schools lacking basic facilities during the last three years, State/UT- wise; (c) the steps taken by the Government to fill the said vacant posts and provide necessary infrastructure facilities in the schools; (d) whether the Government is implementing any special scheme for expansion of digital education, smart classrooms and science laboratories in Government schools in rural and aspirational districts; (e) if so, the details thereof; (f) whether the Government proposes to take any new initiative to improve the quality of education in schools and enhance the learning level of students; and (g) if so, the details thereof? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION (SHRI JAYANT CHAUDHARY) (a) to (g): Education being a subject in the Concurrent List of the Constitution, the majority of schools in the country are under the administrative control of the respective State Governments and Union Territory Administrations. Accordingly, the recruitment, service conditions and deployment of teachers fall within the administrative domain of the concerned States/UTs. Data relating to teacher vacancies in Government schools, State/UT-wise is maintained by the respective State Governments and Union Territory Administrations. As per the UDISE+, the State/UT-wise details of teachers in-position in Government schools across the country, during 2023-24, 2024-25, and 2025-26, are placed at the Annexure-I. Recruitment of teachers is a continuous process undertaken by the respective State Governments/UT Administrations in accordance with their recruitment rules and procedures. Vacancies arise from time to time due to factors such as retirement, resignation, creation of new posts consequent to enhanced student enrolment and establishment of new schools. The timelinefor filling up such vacancies is also determined by the respective State Governments/UT Administrations. The Central Government, on its part, periodically advises States/UTs to fill up vacant posts of teachers through transparent and merit-based recruitment processes, including through autonomous teacher recruitment boards or similar organisations. The progress regarding filling up of teacher vacancies through competitive selection examinations conducted by States/UTs, supported by technology-based teacher requirement planning and forecasting, is reviewed regularly through meetings and advisories. The Central Government, through the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Samagra Shiksha, provides financial assistance to States/UTs to maintain appropriate Pupil-Teacher Ratio (PTR) at various levels of schooling as per the norms prescribed under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, as amended from time to time. The National Education Policy (NEP), 2020 emphasises maintenance of a pupil-teacher ratio of under 30:1 in each school and under 25:1 in areas having large numbers of socio-economically disadvantaged students. As per UDISE+ 2025-26, the national PTR stands at 10 at the Foundational Stage, 12 at the Preparatory Stage, 17 at the Middle Stage and 21 at the Secondary Stage. Further, under Samagra Shiksha, financial assistance is provided to the States and UTs for strengthening Government schools and improving school infrastructure across the country. The scheme supports construction of additional classrooms, toilets (including separate toilets for boys, girls and CWSN), provision of safe drinking water, electricity, ICT facilities, smart classrooms, digital classrooms, laboratories and other infrastructure as per the scheme norms. Infrastructure gaps are identified annually on the basis of data available in the Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE+) and proposals received from the respective States/UTs. Based on these requirements and priorities, the States/UTs prepare their Annual Work Plan and Budget (AWP&B), which is appraised and approved by the Project Approval Board (PAB) under Samagra Shiksha in accordance with the programmatic and financial norms of the scheme. As per the UDISE+ report, the State/UT-wise details of percentage of schools having basic facilities such as toilets, safe drinking water, electricity, functional smart classrooms and integrated science labs, during 2023-24, 2024-25, and 2025-26, are placed at Annexure-II. Initiatives related to ICT and Digital initiatives under Samagra Shiksha, aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, have been undertaken by NCERT to enhance digital learning in schools across the country. The initiatives aim to enhance the quality of education by integrating technology into teaching and learning processes, including training resources, supporting digital boards, virtual classrooms, and other emerging technologies. ePathshala is a platform developed by NCERT under the aegis of the Ministry of Education, Govt. of India. It provides access to educational resources, including NCERT curriculum aligned textbooks, audio-visual materials, and teacher training modules, in multiple languages. These resources are accessible via mobile apps and the web, facilitating learning across various devices. It is widely used in school education across the States/UTs in the country. e-pathshala (https://epathshala.ncert.gov.in/) provides Free access to e-books (class I to XII) through website and app. Digital Infrastructure for Knowledge Sharing (DIKSHA) is the National digital platform for providing quality e-content for school education in States/UTs, along with QR-coded EnergisedTextbooks (ETBs) for all grades (One Nation, One Digital platform). As participants in DIKSHA, States/UTs/Autonomous Bodies (ABs) have generated and contributed over 3.71 lakh pieces of content in local/regional languages. Overall, 581.39 crore learning sessions and 6,738.24 crore learning minutes have been completed on DIKSHA by students, teachers and other stakeholders. The stakeholders have access to more than 836 Virtual Labs. For enhancing quality of School Education, NEP 2020 lays emphasis on experiential learning, arts-integrated and sports integrated education, story-telling based pedagogy, integration of skill education, enhancing quality of pre-service and in-service training of teachers etc. The following major initiatives have been taken to improve the quality of school education on equitable basis: i. National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE) and National Curriculum Framework for Foundation Stage (NCF-FS) have been developed for children between ages 3-18 under the 5+3+3+4 curricular and pedagogical structure recommended by NEP 2020. ii. In accordance with NEP 2020 and the Curriculum Frameworks, textbooks that emphasize play-based, multidisciplinary, and experiential learning, from foundational years through to secondary have been developed. In addition to textbooks, innovative academic resources such as Special Modules, supplementary learning materials, and teachers’ handbooks to support students and teachers in diverse areas of learning are continuously being developed. iii. National Initiative for Proficiency in Reading with Understanding and Numeracy (NIPUN Bharat) has been launched under Samagra Shiksha for ensuring that every child in the country necessarily attains foundational literacy and numeracy (FLN) by the end of Grade 3, and e-content for the same has been released at DIKSHA platform. iv. VIDYA PRAVESH-Guidelines for Three-month Play-based School Preparation Module for Grade-I Children have been released on 29th July, 2021 for all children to expose to a warm and welcoming environment in Grade-I. Jadui Pitara and e-Jadui Pitara, play based interactive learning resources have also been developed. v. NISHTHA Integrated Teacher Training Programme 1.0, 2.0, 3.0 and 4.0 has been introduced for different stages of school education for Teachers, Head Teachers/Principals and other stakeholders in Educational Management. vi. PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan 2024 has been conducted on 4th December, 2024 by the Ministry of Education to evaluate children’s progress and learning competencies as an indicator of the health education system, and to take appropriate steps for remedial actions at different levels. vii. A 73 indicator-based matrix Performance Grading Index (PGI) has been developed to grade the States/UTs. District level Performance Grading Indices (PGI) have been prepared and a Web application for compilation of PGI-District has been developed. The Central Government assists States and UTs through the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Samagra Shiksha in delivering quality education and improving learning outcomes through various interventions. Support is provided, as per scheme norms, for RTE entitlements, composite school grants, library grants, grants for sports and physical education, student assessments, digital interventions, skill education, strengthening of Teacher Education Institutions like SCERTs and DIETs, professional development of teachers, support for DIKSHA, academic support through BRCs/CRCs, etc. Support for remedial teaching, bridge courses, and Learning Enhancement Programmes is also provided. *****ANNEXURE-I ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (A) TO (G) OF LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2502 ANSWERED ON 03/08/2026 ASKED BY HON’BLE MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT SMT. GENIBEN NAGAJI THAKOR REGARDING “SHORTAGE OF TEACHERS AND BASIC FACILITIES IN GOVERNMENT SCHOOLS”. Number of Teachers in-position in Government schools in the country Number of teachers State/UT 2023-24 2024-25 2025-26 INDIA 5037671 5149771 5134623 ANDAMAN & NICOBAR ISLANDS 4446 4811 4758 ANDHRA PRADESH 197378 194297 201125 ARUNACHAL PRADESH 16706 16458 16288 ASSAM 225859 218363 216716 BIHAR 486541 522200 536061 CHANDIGARH 5260 5195 5518 CHHATTISGARH 188721 188578 186139 DADRA & NAGAR HAVELI AND DAMAN 3080 3194 3264 & DIU DELHI 87000 86095 83384 GOA 3117 3401 3805 GUJARAT 198495 191577 194679 HARYANA 93859 101670 100969 HIMACHAL PRADESH 66081 66694 66267 JAMMU & KASHMIR 96380 94202 91569 JHARKHAND 117726 117039 116372 KARNATAKA 192358 195656 193644 KERALA 82703 82748 82601 LADAKH 4723 5107 5289 LAKSHADWEEP 911 751 729 MADHYA PRADESH 321372 393210 399970 MAHARASHTRA 228491 231247 223687 MANIPUR 17512 17471 16970 MEGHALAYA 22698 22827 20297 MIZORAM 13260 14389 14239 NAGALAND 18627 18527 18195 ODISHA 212181 218162 213165 PUDUCHERRY 4733 4737 4959 PUNJAB 126136 122463 122813 RAJASTHAN 434061 445073 441070 SIKKIM 11575 10949 10933 TAMIL NADU 234167 221944 221451 TELANGANA 148456 154956 156178 TRIPURA 28710 27601 26881 UTTAR PRADESH 630075 632186 627124 UTTARAKHAND 59391 59334 59401 WEST BENGAL 454882 456659 448113 (Source: UDISE+)ANNEXURE-II ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (A) TO (G) OF LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2502 ANSWERED ON 03/08/2026 ASKED BY HON’BLE MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT SMT. GENIBEN NAGAJI THAKOR REGARDING “SHORTAGE OF TEACHERS AND BASIC FACILITIES IN GOVERNMENT SCHOOLS”. Percentage of Government Schools having the Basic facilities Schools with Secondary Sections Functional Smart having Integrated Toilets Drinking Water Electricity Classrooms Science Lab 2023- 2024- 2025- 2023- 2024- 2025- 2023- 2024- 2025- 2023- 2024- 2025- 2023- 2024- 2025- India/State/UT 24 25 26 24 25 26 24 25 26 24 25 26 24 25 26 INDIA 98.6 98.7 99.0 98.4 99.4 99.6 92.4 94.5 95.9 21.2 28.6 32.2 50.2 51.7 51.1 ANDAMAN & NICOBAR ISLANDS 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 91.8 92.5 92.5 43.8 43.0 42.1 75.2 73.3 76.2 ANDHRA PRADESH 99.4 99.2 98.9 100.0 100.0 100.0 99.7 99.7 99.7 40.2 43.6 49.5 52.8 52.4 44 ARUNACHAL PRADESH 94.8 94.8 93.5 80.3 90.9 90.8 62.4 65.1 66.9 15.6 19.5 20.7 42.2 42.5 41.5 ASSAM 98.6 99.5 100.0 98.3 99.1 99.5 96.5 96.3 96.9 12.3 23.2 26.5 36.0 50.1 65.3 BIHAR 96.1 99.6 99.9 95.5 99.8 99.9 78.8 97.8 99.7 8.8 11.4 11.6 17.9 21.1 22.9 CHANDIGARH 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 97.5 98.3 100.0 100.0 100.0 97.1 CHHATTISGARH 98.9 97.0 99.0 99.0 99.4 99.8 94.1 94.1 95.7 18.5 21.8 25.1 83.0 80.8 83.5 DADRA & NAGAR HAVELI AND 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 69.2 69.5 82.2 84.6 78.7 DAMAN & DIU 82.3 DELHI 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 70.0 70.7 72.2 90.8 99.1 99.6 GOA 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 8.2 10.3 14.7 93.0 97.6 89.4 GUJARAT 99.5 99.2 98.9 99.9 99.9 99.9 99.9 99.9 99.9 63.3 69.6 72.0 32.0 31.3 29.6 HARYANA 99.9 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 99.9 100.0 100.0 37.8 42.6 46.3 79.0 78.1 78.3 HIMACHAL PRADESH 99.9 99.7 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 99.5 99.3 99.3 26.9 48.1 57.9 84.3 76.0 72.5 JAMMU & KASHMIR 96.3 96.1 95.9 99.3 99.6 99.6 91.2 91.4 91.3 10.6 12.5 14.8 63.0 62.8 62.4 JHARKHAND 99.5 98.9 98.1 98.4 99.1 99.1 96.2 96.6 96.8 8.0 12.6 15.6 54.5 54.0 54 KARNATAKA 99.8 99.7 99.7 99.9 99.9 100.0 98.9 98.9 99.2 14.9 18.6 22.1 48.9 48.5 42.9 KERALA 100.0 99.9 100.0 99.8 99.9 100.0 99.9 99.8 99.9 62.4 64.2 71.5 61.7 62.0 61.2 LADAKH 98.2 97.8 97.1 95.4 98.5 99.5 78.2 81.7 82.8 30.2 38.7 48.6 74.4 80.0 79.9Schools with Secondary Sections Functional Smart having Integrated Toilets Drinking Water Electricity Classrooms Science Lab 2023- 2024- 2025- 2023- 2024- 2025- 2023- 2024- 2025- 2023- 2024- 2025- 2023- 2024- 2025- India/State/UT 24 25 26 24 25 26 24 25 26 24 25 26 24 25 26 LAKSHADWEEP 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 67.6 86.1 97.1 69.2 63.6 81.8 MADHYA PRADESH 99.3 98.9 98.8 99.6 99.5 99.7 87.9 89.6 92.8 11.6 13.3 14.6 52.4 52.3 54.2 MAHARASHTRA 97.9 97.8 99.5 99.2 99.7 100.0 91.8 92.1 95.4 65.9 69.5 73.6 72.5 70.5 69.8 MANIPUR 91.7 91.4 99.9 99.8 99.8 99.9 60.5 63.5 65.0 3.4 12.6 13.1 27.9 45.5 44 MEGHALAYA 93.8 93.5 95.8 53.5 70.3 76.0 20.2 21.1 21.7 1.2 1.4 3.0 40.0 39.7 44.7 MIZORAM 93.7 91.7 90.3 89.3 93.7 94.3 85.5 85.9 89.3 7.0 10.4 12.2 52.0 55.0 47.3 NAGALAND 91.1 92.9 91.0 64.9 88.0 88.9 76.0 81.2 85.1 29.7 31.7 33.0 29.1 36.8 42.4 ODISHA 99.9 99.8 99.5 100.0 100.0 100.0 96.6 97.3 97.1 25.7 32.3 34.4 88.9 90.1 86.1 PUDUCHERRY 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 61.7 72.3 76.4 78.5 79.3 79.1 PUNJAB 99.8 99.8 99.8 99.9 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 87.5 89.1 90.2 79.5 80.4 82.8 RAJASTHAN 96.5 96.3 94.7 97.2 99.0 98.8 90.0 90.9 91.2 16.5 21.2 24.6 21.3 21.1 20.9 SIKKIM 99.9 99.6 99.6 99.8 99.9 100.0 98.7 98.9 99.3 43.9 56.9 68.2 73.2 76.5 78.9 TAMILNADU 99.9 99.2 100.0 99.9 99.8 100.0 99.9 99.9 100.0 1.1 71.4 83.4 98.3 84.5 81.9 TELANGANA 95.7 96.1 97.7 96.5 99.4 100.0 93.4 95.8 99.4 18.3 29.5 35.1 31.6 63.8 63.9 TRIPURA 98.1 98.5 97.6 93.4 97.4 97.7 79.6 83.4 84.9 13.1 21.7 24.3 28.2 29.4 29.6 UTTAR PRADESH 99.6 99.0 100.0 99.3 99.8 99.8 90.7 92.4 94.9 12.4 20.8 27.3 58.8 58.6 58.9 UTTARAKHAND 98.4 99.5 99.0 96.7 99.2 99.5 90.8 95.3 96.8 21.4 30.6 36.6 65.8 64.2 65.5 WEST BENGAL 99.9 99.8 99.8 99.7 99.9 99.9 98.6 98.4 98.5 3.4 4.2 3.5 34.3 35.4 29.6 Source: UDISE+