The Ministry of Education provided a detailed response to a Rajya Sabha question regarding teacher vacancies across India, presenting comprehensive data from the UDISE+ system for academic years 2023-24 to 2025-26. The response clarifies that education being a concurrent subject, teacher recruitment and deployment fall under state/UT administration jurisdiction, with vacancies arising from retirement, resignation, new post creation, and changes in enrollment patterns.
India's total teacher workforce has shown consistent growth, increasing from 9,155,644 teachers in 2023-24 to 9,574,324 teachers in 2025-26. Uttar Pradesh maintained the largest teaching workforce with 1,573,705 teachers in 2025-26, followed by Bihar (689,763) and Rajasthan (753,631). Significant growth was observed in Madhya Pradesh (80,432 teacher increase over three years) and Telangana (27,539 teacher increase).
The national Pupil-Teacher Ratio remains well within NEP 2020 norms, standing at 10:1 at the Foundational Stage, 12:1 at Preparatory Stage, 17:1 at Middle Stage, and 21:1 at Secondary Stage. Specific state data shows Telangana maintaining PTR of 11:1, 10:1, 11:1, and 14:1 across these stages respectively, while Andhra Pradesh recorded 11:1, 12:1, 16:1, and 15:1.
The total number of schools across India showed a slight decline from 1,471,891 in 2023-24 to 1,466,682 in 2025-26. Uttar Pradesh had the highest number of schools (265,278 in 2025-26), followed by Rajasthan (106,445) and Madhya Pradesh (119,694). Several states including Meghalaya (significant reduction from 14,587 to 11,462 schools) and Lakshadweep (36 to 34 schools) showed decreases in school count.
The Central Government provides financial assistance to States/UTs under Samagra Shiksha to maintain appropriate Pupil-Teacher Ratio in accordance with RTE Act, 2009 norms. The government periodically advises States/UTs to fill vacant posts through transparent, merit-based recruitment processes using autonomous teacher recruitment boards, with progress regularly reviewed through meetings and advisories.