Himalaya Harbinger, Uttarakhand Bureau.
The acute shortage of mathematics teachers in Kumaon’s hilly districts is severely impacting the education system, forcing students to either switch to other subjects like biology or migrate to cities for quality education. This paucity is causing poor academic performance, with many students failing board examinations and the overall pass percentage declining in the region.
In Kumaon’s five districts, 238 out of 1,202 sanctioned posts for mathematics teachers remain vacant, according to official data. The situation is especially dire in Almora, Bageshwar, Champawat, Pithoragarh, and Udham Singh Nagar.
Almora district is reeling under a shortage of 84 mathematics teachers against 409 sanctioned posts. Of the 104 lecturer positions, 51 are vacant, with 40 guest teachers filling the gap. Similarly, 24 positions in the LT cadre remain unfilled, and six out of 39 sanctioned posts for female teachers are vacant. Last year, the district recorded 204 high school failures and 35 intermediate failures, underscoring the urgent need for qualified educators.
Atresh Sayana, In-charge CEO of Almora, said, “Information about the vacant posts of mathematics teachers has been sent to the directorate. Deployment can only happen at the government level. Meanwhile, guest teachers have been appointed in many schools.”
Bageshwar district faces a shortage of 32 mathematics teachers. Of the 33 sanctioned posts for lecturers, only 20 are filled permanently, while six remain vacant, even with seven guest teachers employed. Additionally, 19 posts in the LT cadre are unfilled, further burdening the district’s education system.
In Champawat district, 35 positions for mathematics teachers are vacant. This includes 11 lecturer posts and 24 LT posts. Many schools struggle with inadequate staff, with only 22 teachers deployed against 31 sanctioned posts in government inter colleges (GICs).
The border district of Pithoragarh is one of the worst affected, with 70 mathematics teaching posts unfilled out of 254 sanctioned positions across 130 colleges and 86 high schools. In middle schools, 48 positions are vacant, while 22 high schools also lack adequate teachers. With students dropping mathematics due to lack of teachers, the number of enrollees for the subject has plummeted, as seen in Pithoragarh, where only 5,428 students opted for mathematics this year compared to 6,532 last year.
Harak Ram Kohli, CEO of Pithoragarh, said, “There is a shortage of lecturers and LT teachers, including those for mathematics. We hope the government will fill these vacancies soon, as the Education Minister has assured us of action.”
Even in the relatively urban district of Udham Singh Nagar, 13 posts of mathematics teachers remain unfilled, further adding to the crisis. The shortage of mathematics teachers continues to cripple the education system in Kumaon, with stakeholders urging the government to take immediate action to address this pressing issue.
