Rationalization Will Neither Close Schools Nor Eliminate Posts

Raipur, May 21

The Education Department has clarified its position with concrete facts regarding the rationalization of schools in Chhattisgarh in response to questions and misconceptions raised by some educational organizations. The department has stated that neither any school is being closed nor are any teacher posts being eliminated. This rationalization process fully complies with the Right to Education Act and the guidelines of the National Education Policy 2020, aiming to ensure the equitable availability of teachers in schools.

The department has called misleading the claim of 5,000 surplus teachers based on calculations by time period rather than subject. It clarified that in high schools and higher secondary schools, posts are approved based on subjects. If only one teacher is employed for a particular subject in a school, they will not be considered ‘surplus’ under any circumstances. Only schools where multiple teachers are engaged in the same subject, or where there are no students in certain subjects, are being reviewed. For example, if a school has no commerce students, the commerce teacher will be transferred to another school.

The Education Department has stated that the claim by some organizations that 4,000 schools will be closed due to rationalization is completely baseless. It clarified that under the National Education Policy 2020, the concept of cluster schools involves only the administrative adjustment of primary, upper primary, and higher secondary schools operating within a single campus. No school will be closed, and no head teacher post will be eliminated. The purpose is only to improve resource utilization and administrative structure.

The claim that 43,849 teaching posts will be eliminated in the state has also been denied by the Education Department. It said this claim is entirely false and that according to calculations, only 5,370 teachers (3,608 assistant teachers at the primary level and 1,762 upper primary teachers) have been found surplus in proportion to the recorded numbers. These teachers will only be transferred to other schools. No post is being eliminated; all approved posts will remain available for future increases in student enrollment.

The Education Department clarified that rationalization is not merely an administrative process but fundamentally aims to ensure quality education, provide teachers where needed, and make the education system more equitable. This initiative by the Education Department is a concrete and forward-looking step towards strengthening the education infrastructure in the state and providing students with appropriate educational resources.