BENGALURU: The drive undertaken by the Department of School Education and Literacy to recruit 15,000 teachers for primary schools across the state seems to have hit a roadblock. Reason: There are not enough eligible candidates to fill even half the posts in many districts.
A source told TNIE, “There are not enough eligible candidates. In Raichur, around 469 posts for maths teachers are vacant, but 230 eligible candidates have applied”. The department is following the 1:2 ratio method under which 2 candidates will be shortlisted for each post. Of the two candidates, one will be selected based on factors like seniority, experience and marks obtained in their degrees.
Speaking to TNIE, several district Deputy Directors of Public Instruction (DDPIs) voiced their concern over the shortage. In CM Basavaraj Bommai’s home district Haveri, there is a shortage of teachers. “There are 363 vacant posts and 520 candidates have been shortlisted after document verification,” Haveri DDPI BS Jagadeeshwar told TNIE.
‘Shortage of subject teachers’
Bidar DDPI Ganapati Bharatakke said that for 967 vacant posts, there are only 647 candidates. In Ballari, there are 678 candidates for 523 posts. In Chikkodi, there are 1,271 vacant posts for which 1,940 candidates have been shortlisted. In Koppal, for 567 posts, there are 750 to 770 candidates.
“We are facing a shortage, especially for subject teachers,” Koppal DDPI Muttareddy Reddar told TNIE. “If we look at candidates subject-wise, there are 27 posts for English teachers, but only 45 eligible candidates have applied,” Jagadeeshwar said.