Ludhiana: 849 master cadre posts lie vacant in district schools
Even smaller districts such as Barnala, Faridkot, Fazilka and Malerkotla are struggling with staff shortages, highlighting the scale of the problem across Punjab
The promotion process of elementary teacher training (ETT) faculty to the master cadre has been put on hold for the time being but what has added to the worry is official data shared by the state, which shows a massive shortage of master cadre teachers, with more than 800 posts lying vacant in Ludhiana alone.
According to the figures, 849 master cadre posts are vacant in Ludhiana district, a situation that teacher unions have been flagging for a long time. Union leaders said they had repeatedly submitted representations to the government, along with district-wise data, urging immediate recruitment and promotions to prevent disruption in academics.
With the new academic session set to begin in a few months, teachers fear that the continued vacancy of these posts will directly affect classroom teaching and student learning. Dharamjeet Singh Dhillon, district president of the Lecturer Cadre Union, said delays in promotions pose a serious issue. “Promotions get stalled due to one reason or another. It is not just the master cadre posts. Many schools across the state are also running without regular principals. These posts need to be filled on an urgent basis,” he said.
The shortage is not limited to Ludhiana. Data released by the state shows that Amritsar has 812 vacant posts, Tarn Taran 843, Jalandhar 827, Gurdaspur 605, Hoshiarpur 595 and Patiala 481. Other districts facing significant shortages include Kapurthala with 449 vacancies, Roopnagar with 390, SBS Nagar with 383, Moga with 347 and Fatehgarh Sahib with 287 vacant posts. Even smaller districts such as Barnala, Faridkot, Fazilka and Malerkotla are struggling with staff shortages, highlighting the scale of the problem across Punjab.
Jagjit Singh Mann, district president of the Government Teachers’ Union, said his union has been independently collecting data on vacant posts of teachers, headmasters and principals to present the ground reality to the government. “We have made several appeals, but in the end, it is the students and teachers who suffer because of these delays,” he said.
Meanwhile, the director of school education (secondary), stayed the station selection process following promotion orders until further notice. School education secretary Anindita Mitra had earlier stated that certain legal issues need to be resolved before moving ahead. However, teacher leaders warned that with such a large number of master cadre posts lying vacant, government schools may struggle to begin the new academic session smoothly.
