Chhattisgarh teachers protest post cuts, call for quota reinstatement across schools

Teachers across Chhattisgarh have launched a phased protest against the state government’s teacher rationalization policy, which they claim has resulted in the elimination of over 46,000 teaching posts.

Led by the Chhattisgarh Shikshak Sanjha Manch (CSSM), a joint forum of teachers, the agitation began on June 17 with black armband demonstrations and outreach to parents and is set to culminate in a large-scale protest on Teachers’ Day, Sept 5.

Following a review meeting on June 14, CSSM announced plans to intensify its campaign. “We are planning a structured protest, including a large-scale demonstration on Teachers' Day,” said state convener Virendra Dubey.

As schools reopened after summer vacation, teachers across the state wore black armbands to express their dissent.

The protest calendar includes black armband demonstrations from June 16 to 30, with a focused parent outreach drive from June 16 to 20 to highlight flaws in the policy and the alleged reduction in teaching positions.

Affected teachers will submit applications to the Directorate of Public Instruction (DPI) and the Education Secretary, with copies sent to officials at the block, district, divisional, and state levels.

On June 20, applications will also be sent to the Chief Justice of India. By June 30, demand letters will be addressed to the Prime Minister, and a memorandum detailing discrepancies will be submitted to the DPI and the Education Secretary.

On July 1, a one-day strike will be observed, with protests held at 146 block headquarters across Chhattisgarh. The movement will culminate on September 5 with a state-level protest.

In response, the Chhattisgarh government has defended the rationalization policy, asserting that it has significantly improved teacher deployment, especially in remote and underserved regions.

A government spokesperson said that the number of single-teacher schools has been reduced by 80% and that no school is currently without staff.

“The transformation was possible due to rationalization, which focused on equitable resource distribution, logical teacher deployment, and alignment with the Right to Education Act and New Education Policy,” the spokesperson said.

Previously, 453 schools had no teachers, and 5,936 had only one, with the problem being most severe in districts like Sukma, Narayanpur, and Bijapur.

A three-phase counseling process at the district, divisional, and state levels was conducted to ensure that all high schools now meet minimum staffing requirements.

Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai emphasized that improving single-teacher schools remains a key priority and confirmed that additional teachers would be appointed through both promotions and new recruitment.

Despite these measures, 1,207 primary schools in the state still have only one teacher. The affected districts include Bastar with 283 such schools, Bijapur with 250, Sukma with 186, Mohla-Manpur-Chowki with 124, Korba with 89, Balrampur with 94, Narayanpur with 64, Dhamtari with 37, Surajpur with 47, Dantewada with 11, and 22 more spread across other districts.

The government said that staffing in these schools will be prioritized and addressed based on local needs.