Staff Correspondent:

The primary and mass education ministry has taken an initiative to quickly fill the vacant head teacher positions in government primary schools across the country.

The ministry has sent a requisition to the Public Service Commission (PSC) to directly recruit 2,382 candidates for the posts eligible for direct appointment.

Additionally, 31,459 posts that have remained vacant due to ongoing legal cases will be filled through promotion as soon as the cases are resolved.

The primary and mass education ministry issued a press release in this regard on Tuesday.

There is a growing crisis of teachers in the primary education sector, considered the foundation of education in the country.

Out of more than 65,000 approved head teacher positions, over 34,000 remain vacant—meaning nearly 52 per cent of schools do not have a head teacher.

Furthermore, around 24,500 assistant teacher positions are also vacant. This shortage of teachers is impacting both the administrative and academic operations of schools, particularly harming students in remote areas.

The press release also highlighted this issue, stating that head teachers play a vital role in improving the quality of primary education.

Due to these prolonged vacancies, the education activities of primary schools have been disrupted. To address this issue, the ministry has taken steps to fill the vacant head teacher positions in government primary schools promptly.

According to the ministry, out of 65,569 government primary schools under its jurisdiction, there are 65,502 approved head teacher positions.

Currently, 31,396 head teachers are serving, leaving 34,106 positions vacant. Of these, 2,647 are eligible for direct recruitment. After reserving 10 per cent of these for quota, recruitment for the remaining 2,382 positions will proceed. A recruitment circular for these positions will soon be issued by the PSC.

Moreover, once the appeal cases related to the gradation of nationalised teachers are resolved, the 31,459 posts eligible for promotion from assistant teacher to head teacher will be filled accordingly.

The press release stated that completing this recruitment process will help address the staffing shortages in primary schools and enhance the quality and dynamism of their educational activities.