THE EDUCATION SYSTEM IS PLAGUED BY THE TRAGEDY OF ONE LAKH SINGLE-TEACHER SCHOOLS

THE EDUCATION SYSTEM IS PLAGUED BY THE TRAGEDY OF ONE LAKH SINGLE-TEACHER SCHOOLS

16-SEP-ENG 12

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

ARA--------------------------Even today, children in many government and private schools in India are relying on just one teacher to study all subjects. According to official data from the Ministry of Education for the year 2024-25, a single teacher is teaching all classes and all subjects in a total of 104,125 schools across the country. This figure not only reflects the failure of our education system but also reveals a worrying situation. These figures raise serious questions about our educational development. "Education is the soul of a nation." This quote by Swami Vivekananda resonates with India's education system today. When the soul of education is wounded, the body of the nation can never remain healthy.

Recent data from the Ministry of Education shows that approximately 3.75 lakh students are studying in single-teacher schools. Andhra Pradesh reportedly has the highest number of such schools, followed by Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Lakshadweep. Firstly, the education budget in our country is already very low, and then the failure to utilize that money properly is a form of corruption. There is no doubt that the negligence of our policymakers is a major factor in the declining standards of primary and secondary education. After all, what kind of education are we providing our children? How can we hope for a better future for them? Obviously, a single teacher cannot be an expert in social sciences, languages, science, English, and mathematics. Will a single teacher record attendance or teach students? The scenario of single-teacher schools exposes the reality of India's development. Even though there has been a 6 percent decrease in single-teacher schools compared to last year, the existence of such a large number of such schools exposes the profound failure of our education system. This situation is not a single statistic, but a picture of a profound tragedy for the nation's future.

Imagine a teacher who also performs administrative duties, oversees mid-day meals, and is responsible for teaching all classes. Does that teacher remain a teacher or become a laborer bearing the burden of the system? What kind of education will these children receive, for whom the only door to knowledge is filled with fatigue, neglect, and poverty? This crisis is not limited to rural India. Even in urban and semi-urban areas, there are hundreds of schools that lack subject specialists, laboratories, and teaching resources. The New Education Policy 2020 talks about holistic education, but when the infrastructure itself is incomplete, policies remain mere documents. We are envisioning a developed India by 2047, but does this state of single-teacher schools indicate any meaningful steps in that direction?

It is ironic that India, a country with the world's largest youth population, still faces this predicament of childhood education. Government expenditure on education is only 2.9 percent of GDP, compared to 5 to 6 percent in developed countries. When education itself is not an investment, where will the foundation for development come from? The problem is not just about teacher numbers, but also about teacher recruitment, training, and resources. Appointment processes in states remain stagnant for years, transfer policies are chaotic, and even the teachers who exist are deprived of training in modern education systems, digital learning, innovation, and value-based teaching. This situation seems even more ironic when we chant slogans like "New India," "Developed India," and "Vishwaguru Bharat" on every platform. Education needs to be considered a national priority. Like defense and health, education should be given the highest priority.

Transparency and timeliness should be ensured in teacher recruitment, proper accommodation of schools in remote areas should be made, digital education should be expanded through technology, and teachers should be respected not just as salaried employees but as nation-builders. Mahatma Gandhi said, "If we are to make India great again, education must be re-humanized." Today, education has become limited to exams and jobs, whereas its purpose should be character building and awakening of conscience. If 3.4 million children are dependent on a single teacher, this is not just an administrative failure but a testament to our collective insensitivity. India will develop only when every child studies—not just in school, but truly educated. Otherwise, the plight of single teachers will become the silent tragedy of future India. Teachers are like lamps; they burn themselves to illuminate society. But when the lamp itself remains alone, darkness is natural. Now is the time to resolve to dispel this darkness, because education is the future of the nation, and teachers are the architects of that future.

It's worth thinking about how one teacher can teach all the classes in a school? What kind of education and how much education will students receive? Education is about the all-round development of students. They must be provided with knowledge of co-curricular activities along with studies. But when schools lack sufficient teachers, it's not difficult to imagine how bookish learning will be. Studies alone are not important in school. For children's complete physical development, sports, cultural activities, and classes like yoga and exercise are absolutely necessary. But when there aren't enough teachers, the problems that accompany education will be difficult to overcome. These activities are unimaginable. Undoubtedly, we are laying the foundation for a bleak future for our students, and how can a nation built on such a bleak foundation be healthy, capable, and advanced?

This neglect of education also reflects the insensitivity of our rulers. The widespread corruption in teacher recruitment cases that have surfaced in various states reveals the corrupt work culture of the education department. What is the reason that despite a sufficient number of trained teachers in the country, there is a shortage of teachers in schools? This situation exposes the failure of our system. Another problem is that teachers are reluctant to work in schools with difficult geographical conditions. Even if teachers are appointed in these schools, they seek transfers from remote to accessible schools immediately after joining. This often leads to complaints of political interference and departmental transactions. This is why schools located in cities and surrounding areas often see excessive teacher deployment.

What a tragic situation it is that the streets are lined with unemployed people, and millions of teaching positions are vacant in schools. It's reported that approximately 850,000 teaching positions are vacant in secondary and primary schools, despite the fact that we have no shortage of trained teachers. Our arrogant leaders boast of India as the country with the largest number of young people in the world, but these leaders should be asked what special work they have done for the frustrated young generation. Jobs are not available. Such tragic and ironic situations in a country poised to become the third economy should be a matter of shame for the country's policymakers and leaders.