RTE roadblock: Not enough teachers

Estimates drawn up by the HRD Ministry last year showed that of the 13.3 lakh new teachers that need to be inducted over the next three years,the maximum will have to be recruited by UP 3.9 lakh,Bihar 2.2 lakh and Bengal 1 lakh. Assam will need between 0.1-2 lakh teachers. There are about 1.29 million elementary schools in the country. Nearly 5.1 lakh additional teachers will be recruited in these schools in the next three years to meet the pupil-teacher ratio of 30:1 as per the RTE provisions.

The Centre last year made it mandatory that each state hold a Teachers Eligibility Test to decide the eligibility for the job. The new binding norms stipulate that only candidates who have passed Class XII and done a two-year diploma in teachers education from a recognised institution will be allowed to take the test. For states like Bengal that appoint even Class X passouts as teachers,meeting these norms is quite an uphill task.

And while some states are struggling to get qualified teachers and are not very pleased,others like Rajasthan will go ahead and hold the first tests to select teachers this year.