BHUBANESWAR: The All Odisha Teacher Aspirants’ Association on Monday staged a mass protest in the state capital demanding immediate recruitment against vacant teacher posts in government high schools, primary schools, special education schools and Odisha Adarsha Vidyalayas (OAVs).
The protesters alleged that despite repeated meetings with departmental secretaries, ministers and officials, the government had failed to take adequate steps to issue fresh recruitment notifications for teacher posts.
As per the association, the government has stated that more than 13,000 teacher posts are vacant at the high school level while over 60,000 posts are yet to be filled at the primary level. These vacancies are adversely affecting teaching and learning, particularly in rural schools, it stated.
The agitators also questioned the government’s claim of having recruited around 26,000 teachers since the new government assumed office in June 2024, arguing that several of the recruitment processes were based on advertisements issued earlier.
They further alleged that more than a year had passed since the government announced recruitment of 45,000 teachers, but fresh recruitment advertisements are yet to be issued for the posts. The protesters placed three major demands before the state government such as immediate publication of recruitment advertisements for high school teachers, including physical education teachers; immediate recruitment to vacant primary and special educator posts; and filling up vacant teaching posts in OAVs through fresh recruitment notifications. The association warned of intensifying agitation if its demands were not considered.
