11.25% teacher posts vacant in PMC schools: RTI

The Indian Express could not reach PMC Administrative Officer (Primary Education Department) Sunanda Wakhare after repeated calls and messages for a comment on the story.

AAP also said that it plans to file a writ petition in the Bombay High Court for the violation of children’s fundamental right to education.

Data received under the Right to Information (RTI) has revealed that 320 teacher posts lie vacant in Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) schools across the city. The RTI was filed by Krunnal Gharre, vice president of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Pune City. The response received on October 10 shows that out of the 2,840 sanctioned teaching posts in the city, 11.25 per cent (320) lie vacant as of June 13, 2025.

In response to the RTI data, Krunnal Gharre and Shital Kandelkar, president of AAP Shikshak Aghadi, said in a statement, “While the government boasts about ‘education reforms,’ ‘digital schools,’ and ‘quality learning,’ the reality is completely opposite. Thousands of children are being deprived of teachers. This is not just administrative negligence — it’s a grave social injustice.”

“Empty classrooms don’t just stop education — they stop the future of society. A child denied education grows directionless, frustrated, and vulnerable to wrong paths. The rise in juvenile crime in Pune is directly linked to the collapse of the education system. No teachers today means no law-abiding citizens tomorrow,” Gharre added. AAP also said that it plans to file a writ petition in the Bombay High Court for the violation of children’s fundamental right to education.

The data showed that PMC operates 313 schools of various language mediums. 234 of these schools are Marathi medium, 46 are English medium, 31 are Urdu medium, and two are Kannada medium. Information and Administrative Officer of the Primary Education Department at PMC Snehal Ukranke.

The Indian Express could not reach PMC Administrative Officer (Primary Education Department) Sunanda Wakhare after repeated calls and messages for a comment on the story.

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