VISAKHAPATNAM: More than 16,000 schools in Andhra Pradesh are functioning with just one teacher, according to the latest Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) 2025-26 data tabled in Parliament.
The figures were shared by the Union Ministry of Education in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday in response to a question raised by MP Randeep Singh Surjewala on teacher vacancies and single-teacher schools across the country.
According to the data, Andhra Pradesh has 16,357 single-teacher schools across all managements during 2025-26.
The Ministry also furnished the number of teachers currently in position in government schools across different levels in the State. Andhra Pradesh has 74,616 teachers at the primary level, 7,254 at the upper primary level, 87,545 at the secondary level and 31,710 at the higher secondary level.
However, the Centre did not provide state-wise data on the sanctioned strength of teachers or vacancies, stating that education is a subject on the Concurrent List and that the recruitment, deployment and service conditions of teachers are the responsibility of the respective State governments and Union Territory administrations.
The Ministry said vacancies arise due to retirements, resignations, creation of new posts, rationalisation of teacher deployment and changes in student enrolment.
It added that the Centre periodically advises States and Union Territories to fill vacant teaching posts through transparent, merit-based recruitment mechanisms and regularly reviews recruitment progress through meetings and advisories.
The Union government also said it provides financial assistance to States under the Samagra Shiksha programme to help maintain the prescribed pupil-teacher ratio (PTR) in accordance with the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009.
Referring to the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020, the Ministry noted that the policy recommends maintaining a pupil-teacher ratio of less than 30:1 in every school and below 25:1 in schools serving a high proportion of socio-economically disadvantaged children. As per UDISE+ 2025-26, the national average pupil-teacher ratio stands at 19:1 at the primary level, 17:1 at upper primary, 15:1 at secondary and 23:1 at higher secondary level, all within the norms envisaged under the NEP.
The Ministry also highlighted its ongoing National Initiative for School Heads’ and Teachers’ Holistic Advancement (NISHTHA) programme, under which teachers are provided online training through the DIKSHA platform in areas such as foundational literacy and numeracy, early childhood education, educational technology and secondary education.
