While schools officially reopened in Karnataka on May 29, several government schools are still facing a shortage of teachers. Currently, the schools have vacancies for 58,000 teachers in primary, secondary and Pre-University (PU) colleges. Secondary and Primary Education Minister Madhu Bangarappa said that appropriate steps will be taken to fill the gap in schools while keeping quick timelines in mind.

While speaking to The New Indian Express, he said, “We are just waiting for legal clearance from the court... all paperwork has been done from the department’s side and we will complete the placement process as soon as we get a nod from the high court.”

Earlier, married women had submitted their father’s income certificates and were not considered for the list as the rule said that only the husband’s income certificate is allowed. After the high court intervened, the BJP government then completed the recruitment of 13,351 of the 15,000 vacancies. After that, some candidates again approached the court.

Bangarappa said that the department is also clearing the recruitment of 8,500 temporary teachers. He, however, stressed the point that, “temporary teachers will not help solve the issue”. He highlighted that gradually more teachers need to be recruited permanently and the government aims to address the issue on priority, stated a report in The New Indian Express.

He also questioned the BJP regarding approving transfers of teachers. Bangarappa said, “Some 87,000 teachers have applied for transfers and only 20,000 are eligible. Why did the BJP government not clear it when in power? Schools were ready to begin by the end of May, they could have done it in March.”