Parliament Question: Teacher Availability in Remote Regions

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION & LITERACY LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO:- 5835 ANSWERED ON-30/03/2026 Teacher Availability in Remote Regions 5835. Shri Ummeda Ram Beniwal: Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state: (a) whether it is a fact that teacher vacancies are higher in schools located in remote areas/districts, if so, the details thereof; (b) whether it is a fact that districts, such as Barmer and Jaisalmer in Rajasthan face persistent shortages of teachers, if so, the details thereof; (c) whether it is a fact that rational deployment policies of teachers are effective, if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor; and (d) whether any special incentives are proposed by the Government to attract teachers to work in difficult areas and if so, the details thereof? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION (SHRI JAYANT CHAUDHARY) (a) to (d): Education is a subject in the Concurrent List of the Constitution and the majority of schools are under the administrative control of the respective State Governments and Union Territory Administrations. Accordingly, matters relating to recruitment, service conditions and deployment of teachers, including in the fall within the administrative domain of the concerned States/UTs. Vacancies of teachers arise from time to time due to factors such as retirement, resignation, creation of new posts, rationalisation and increased enrolment, including in rural and remote areas. The data regarding teacher vacancies, including State-wise and district-wise details, including in the districts of Barmer and Jaisalmer of the State of Rajasthan, is maintained by the respective States/UTs. States/UTs are encouraged by the Central Government to adopt measures such as school complex/cluster-based approaches and teacher-sharing mechanisms to address localised shortages, including in remote areas. The Central Government periodically reviews the progress relating to filling up of teacher vacancies with States/UTs through meetings and advisories, emphasising timely recruitment through transparent and merit-based processes supported by technology-based teacher requirement planning and forecasting exercises. Further, the Central Government provides financial assistance to States/UTs under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Samagra Shiksha to maintain appropriate Pupil-Teacher Ratio(PTR) at various levels of schooling in accordance with the norms prescribed under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009. Para 2.3 of the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020 emphasises maintaining a PTR of under 30:1 in each school and under 25:1 in areas with a high proportion of socio-economically disadvantaged students. As per UDISE+ 2024-25, the PTR at the national level is 10 at the Foundational stage, 13 at the Preparatory stage, 17 at the Middle stage and 21 at the Secondary stage. Further, as per UDISE+ 2024-25, the PTR in the State of Rajasthan is 9, 11, 12 and 16, while in Barmer district it is 7, 12, 16 and 24, and in Jaisalmer district it is 7, 11, 13 and 18 at the Foundational, Preparatory, Middle and Secondary stages respectively. These are within the norms envisaged under NEP 2020. Under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Samagra Shiksha, support is provided under the Access and Retention component for construction and strengthening of residential quarters for teachers, particularly in sparsely populated, hilly, forested and border areas with difficult terrain. Special emphasis is laid on the deployment of female teachers and provision of residential facilities for them in remote locations, with a view to addressing gender, social and regional disparities in access to school education. These provisions serve as important non- monetary incentives for improving the availability and retention of teachers in such challenging areas. *****