Teacher Recruitment Candidates Continue Protest In Bhopal After 20 Days Of Agitation

A protest by candidates seeking teacher recruitment in Madhya Pradesh entered its 20th day in Bhopal, with demonstrators demanding an increase in the number of posts and the filling of vacant positions in government schools. The candidates, who have come from different districts of the state, have been holding their agitation at Neelam Park opposite Lower Lake in Jahangirabad. They have warned of intensifying the protest if their demands are not addressed.

The protesters are primarily seeking an increase in primary and secondary teacher vacancies announced through recruitment examinations. They have also demanded a second counselling process to fill posts that remained vacant after the first round. The candidates maintain that thousands of teaching positions remain vacant across government schools, while the number of posts advertised in the 2025 recruitment examination was significantly lower than the vacancies available.

According to the candidates, 13,089 primary teacher posts were advertised last year, but only 6,800 were filled during the first counselling round. They are seeking an increase in primary teacher posts to 25,000 and at least 3,000 additional secondary teacher positions across subjects, including sports, music, dance, singing and instrumental music. They argue that filling these vacancies would help address teacher shortages while providing opportunities to eligible candidates who are currently waiting for recruitment.

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The issue has also become important for candidates approaching the upper age limit for recruitment examinations. Officials have indicated that the maximum age limit for teacher recruitment exams is 35 years, while several protesters have raised concerns that they could become ineligible for future examinations if the vacancies are not filled soon. Many of those participating in the protest work as guest teachers in government schools and receive monthly honorariums ranging from Rs 10,000 for primary classes to Rs 18,000 for higher secondary classes.

An education department official maintained that the number of posts could not be increased after examination results were declared and that the protesters' demands were not in accordance with the rules. The candidates, however, have pointed to recruitment exercises in 2020 and 2022 where they claim the number of posts was increased after results were announced. They have also cited the Higher Secondary Teacher Recruitment Examination 2023, in which 8,720 posts were announced, with 2,901 filled during the first counselling session while counselling for the remaining 5,819 posts was yet to be conducted, according to the protesters.

The candidates have further claimed that as of December 27, 2024, more than 99,000 secondary teacher and over 1.31 lakh primary teacher positions were vacant under the School Education Department, besides thousands of vacancies under the Tribal Affairs Department. They contend that the current recruitment covers only a fraction of these vacancies. The agitation has received political support from Madhya Pradesh Congress president Jitu Patwari and former chief minister Digvijaya Singh, who recently met the protesters and backed their demands. Some candidates had earlier undertaken hunger strikes before being hospitalised as their health deteriorated.

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