Stating that there were around 30,000 vacancies for teachers in the state government sector, Rajya Sabha member and National Backward Class (BC) Welfare Association President R Krishnaiah on Sunday, March 2, urged the Telangana government to take immediate steps to fill them.

In a letter to Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, Krishnaiah pointed out that although the government had filled some posts last year, nearly 30,000 positions remained vacant in several schools. He noted that around 12,000 schools lacked teachers for subjects such as mathematics, science and English, stated a report by The New Indian Express.

As a result, he said, students from the state were struggling to compete with their peers from other states in national examinations like National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) and engineering entrance tests.

Krishnaiah requested the chief minister to collect data on the number of teachers who had retired over the past 10 years, those who had received promotions and the exact number of vacancies. He highlighted an issue in the recruitment process, stating that when a merit candidate is selected for multiple posts, they choose the best institution, leaving other vacancies unfilled.

To address this, he suggested implementing an ‘option system’, declaring a waiting list and taking additional measures to ensure all vacancies are filled.

He further recommended that the government issue a simultaneous recruitment notification for all institutions, including Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBV), Gurukuls, model schools and regular schools, to streamline the hiring process.