A bold leap in the education of Chhattisgarh, no school is without a teacher now

80 percent decline in single teacher schools

Integration of 10,372 schools, comprehensive rationalization of teachers

Students will get better educational facilities

Raipur, June 15, 2025: Taking an important step towards increasing the quality and access to education in the state, the Chhattisgarh government has taken a comprehensive and meaningful initiative to rationalize its schools and teachers. This far-reaching reform, under the guidance of Chief Minister Vishnu Dev Sai, in accordance with the provisions of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the Right to Education Act 2009, is actually an effective effort to streamline the education system of the state and resolve long-standing educational anomalies. Before rationalization, education was being affected due to lack of teachers in the schools of rural areas of Chhattisgarh state, posting of more teachers than required in schools in urban areas and nearby areas and this was also affecting the examination results of the children. About 212 primary schools and 48 upper primary schools in the state were completely teacherless, while 6,872 primary schools and 255 upper primary schools were functioning with only one teacher. In addition, there were 211 schools where the student strength was zero but teachers were posted. In addition, 166 schools were accommodated, including 133 schools in rural areas with enrolled strength less than 10 and distance less than 1 km, and 33 schools in urban areas with enrolled strength less than 30 and distance less than 500 metres.

Despite these challenges, Chhattisgarh’s student-teacher ratio (PTR) was significantly better than the national average, with PTR for primary schools being 20 against the national average of 29 and PTR for upper primary schools being 18 against the national average of 38. However, the distribution was uneven. There were about 17,000 primary schools and about 4,479 pre-secondary schools in the state, which had PTR-less than 20. In urban areas alone, there were 527 schools which had PTR-less than 10, including 08 primary schools with 15 or more teachers, 61 schools with 10-15 teachers and 749 primary schools with 6-9 teachers, these figures show the need for better resource allocation. The main point of this initiative was the integration of about 10 thousand 372 schools operating in the same premises, which included primary, pre-secondary, high school and higher secondary schools. This merger is expected to bring many benefits, including reduction in the number of school dropouts and elimination of the need for students to get transfer certificates repeatedly. This will help in providing quality education, students of lower classes getting support from students of higher classes, and increasing academic understanding and interest through computers, science laboratories, sports and cultural activities, as well as personality development. The administrative system will also be strengthened from this point of view. Along with the adjustment of schools, an important teacher rationalization process was also carried out through counseling at the district, division and state levels. Under this process, about 13 thousand 793 teachers were rationalized at the district level. 863 teachers were rationalized at the division level and 105 teachers were rationalized at the state level.

The initial results of the rationalization campaign are highly promising. Most importantly, the education department says that no school is being closed and no teacher post is being abolished. Instead, the focus is on ensuring the operation of schools with better infrastructure. After rationalization, the number of schools without teachers in the state has become zero. The number of single teacher schools has reduced by an impressive 80 percent, with about 1,200 schools now single teacher. The integration of 10,372 schools located on the same campus and the merger of 166 rural and urban schools have been completed. This will free about 89 percent of the students from repeated admission processes. Students will have access to additional teachers and there will be more uniformity in school timetables and other activities. This initiative also aims to improve student understanding through remedial teaching. By implementing the National Education Policy, Chhattisgarh is not only addressing the current shortcomings but also laying a strong foundation for a future where every child will have access to quality education, promoting holistic development and academic excellence. This rationalization step is a testimony to the state’s commitment to creating a more efficient, equitable and effective educational environment.