More than 100 government schools in the district are running with only one teacher shouldering every responsibility. From teaching multiple classes at once to managing midday meals and handling administrative duties, these teachers have been left to run entire schools single-handedly, often under extremely challenging conditions.
The crisis is in primary and middle schools, where the shortage of staff has directly affected the quality of education. Jagjit Singh Mann, district president of the Government Teachers Union, pointed out that in Mangat-3 block alone, 22 primary schools are operating with just one teacher each, while two schools have no regular teacher at all. “Some of these schools are being run with deputation staff, which causes serious harm to the academic growth of children,” he said.
The situation on the ground paints a grim picture. Government Primary School (GPS), Kalas Kalan, is being managed by a single volunteer, while GPS Macchian Khurd has no regular teacher. In Government Middle School, Bore, 88 students have been taught by a lone teacher for the past year. Ironically, even though the teacher has been transferred, she has not been relieved, leaving both schools in limbo.
At GPS Mehlon, where floods caused major damage, the lone teacher has been handling every task by himself- from cleaning the premises to teaching classes. “I cannot even take a day off, even when I fall sick. There is no one to take care of the children if I am absent,” he shared.
Dharamjeet Singh Dhillon, district president of the Lecturer Cadre Union, said, “There are more than 100 single-teacher schools in the district. Many of these schools are located close to each other. The government must consider merging them. This will not only solve the problem of single-teacher schools but will also do justice to both teachers and students.”
In these schools, single teachers are expected to manage everything- from nursery to Class 5- while also supervising midday meals and completing paperwork.
Data from the UDISE+ survey for 2024-25 reveals that there are 2,431 single-teacher schools across the state, with a combined enrolment of 76,942 students. Dhillon added that even though the government recently carried out transfers and promotions, the ground reality remains unchanged, as the teachers who are managing the schools all alone, are not relieved from their current postings.
When contacted, administrative secretary of school education, Anindita Mitra, said, “We are working on our rationalisation policy, after which this issue is expected to be resolved.”