The Himachal Pradesh Government will urge the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) to relax the eligibility criteria for recruiting pre-primary teachers, citing an acute shortage of candidates possessing the prescribed qualifications and the growing burden on primary school teachers. Mountain& Ski Resorts
Education Minister Rohit Thakur said the state was facing a serious shortage of eligible candidates as the existing norms require applicants to possess a two-year Nursery Teacher Training (NTT) diploma from recognised institutes. “We do not have enough candidates with the required qualification.
The NCTE should relax the eligibility conditions so that we can recruit teachers and ensure that pre-primary classes function with dedicated staff,” he said.
At present, Junior Basic Training (JBT) teachers, who are primarily responsible for teaching Classes I to V, are also handling pre-primary sections in government schools. According to official estimates, the state requires around 6,200 pre-primary teachers to run the existing classes, but the shortage of eligible candidates has stalled recruitment.
The minister’s statement comes in the wake of media reports alleging that some JBT teachers in Una district had engaged individuals on a personal basis to manage pre-primary classes as they were unable to balance responsibilities of both sections. Responding to the reports, Rohit Thakur said the Education Department would seek a report from field authorities and verify the allegations.
Deputy Director, Elementary Education, Una, Sompal Dhiman, said he was not aware of any such practice but would inquire into the matter. He maintained that no teacher was authorised to appoint anyone privately to conduct classes and that the department had no record of such arrangements.
Rejecting the allegation that teachers had personally hired anyone, Una JBT Association president Sandesh Kumar said primary teachers were under immense pressure because of the additional responsibility of handling pre-primary classes.
He urged the government to recruit dedicated pre-primary teachers without delay, adding that the academic interests of primary students were also being affected. He also pointed out that most pre-primary sections lacked attendants, forcing primary teachers to shoulder those responsibilities as well.
However, a primary teacher, requesting anonymity, said managing both sections was virtually impossible, particularly in schools with only one or two teachers.
