Ludhiana: Only 70 regular agri teachers left in state
Arundeep Singh, a young agriculture graduate from Moga, brought the issue to light by filing a Right to Information (RTI) request; in the reply received earlier this year, it was revealed that only 66 regular master cadre teachers are currently available across Punjab to teach agriculture
A wave of concern is sweeping among agriculturists, as the number of qualified teachers for the subject in state schools continues to dwindle and the agriculture aspirants fear that the lack of proper teaching resources could severely impact the future of the subject.
Arundeep Singh, a young agriculture graduate from Moga, brought the issue to light by filing a Right to Information (RTI) request. In the reply received earlier this year, it was revealed that only 66 regular master cadre teachers are currently available across Punjab to teach agriculture. This is a sharp decline from the 122 teachers available in 2019, according to the Agriculture Students Association, Punjab.
Agriculture is offered as an optional subject from Classes 6 to 10 and after these classes, is treated as a vocational trade under the National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF). According to data released by the Punjab School Education Board in March, 2,488 students appeared for the agriculture exam under NSQF, while over 1.33 lakh Class 8 students took the subject in total. Despite this, the state has only 133 vocational trainers assigned to teach agriculture under NSQF, as per the RTI reply.
Angrej Maan, state president of the Agriculture Students Association, said that repeated appeals have been made to the government for regular recruitment of agriculture teachers. “We have met the state agriculture minister more than 10 times, and even approached CM Bhagwant Mann in 2022, but no concrete action has followed,” he said, adding that the subject deserves to be made compulsory in government schools.
Gurinder Chhabra, an agriculture teacher in Ludhiana, pointed out that generally, the schools with agricultural land offer the subject. “This year, around 60 students appeared for the agriculture exam in our school alone. Agriculture is a primary sector, and it must be treated with the importance it deserves,” he said.
Akashdeep, an agriculture graduate from Punjab Agricultural University, noted that due to the shortage of trained teachers, instructors from unrelated subjects are being assigned to teach agriculture. “This not only affects the quality of education but also discourages students from pursuing agriculture seriously,” he added.
When contacted, state education minister Harjot Singh Bains assured that the government is working on expanding recruitment under NSQF and is also considering the release of posts for regular agriculture teachers to address the demand.
