To tackle the shortage of teachers in government schools across Maharashtra, the state government has announced plans to recruit 50,000 teachers. School Education Minister Deepak Vasant Kesarkar confirmed this news, highlighting the need to address the staffing shortfall. According to Kesarkar, the recruitment process will be carried out in two stages. Around 30,000 posts will be filled in the primary stage, with the remaining 20,000 in the second stage.

There was a delay in the recruitment process due to a stay order issued by the Aurangabad bench of the Bombay High Court. Kesarkar assured that the recruitment process will now commence, with a government resolution to be issued accordingly.

To ensure that students are not inconvenienced in the meantime, the education department has appointed retired teachers on a contract basis in schools where there is a shortage of teachers. These retired teachers will be reassigned to Zilla Parishad schools and aided institutions once the new teachers are appointed, Kesarkar explained.

The appointment of 50,000 teachers in government schools is expected to have a positive impact on schoolchildren. The shortage of teachers has affected the teaching and learning process. Additionally, the state government plans to introduce pre-primary classes in 17,000 schools.

Regarding the recent slip in the state’s ranking from second to seventh place in the education Performance Grading Index, Kesarkar attributed the change to the revised evaluation parameters. He noted that all states had achieved over 90%, and only Chandigarh and Punjab were able to secure the sixth and seventh positions, respectively, under the new evaluation system.

Furthermore, Kesarkar acknowledged that the standard of aided educational institutes, which are privately run, had fallen in comparison to Zilla Parishad schools. The new evaluation method prevents any state from ranking in the top five categories.