Special Correspondent
Pune : An RTI query has revealed that 320 teacher posts remain vacant across 313 schools run by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), raising concerns over the quality of education imparted to thousands of students. The information was provided by Snehal Ukarande, Administrative Officer and Public Information Officer of PMC’s Education Department, in response to an application filed by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) city vice-president Adv. Krunal Ghare.
According to the data, PMC operates 313 schools, including 234 Marathi medium, 46 English medium, 31 Urdu medium, and two Kannada medium institutions. The approved staffing pattern includes 233 principals, 1,790 assistant teachers, and 819 graduate teachers. However, 57 principal posts, 24 assistant teacher posts and 239 graduate teacher posts are currently vacant. Against 2,842 sanctioned posts, only 2,538 teachers are working.
AAP representatives Adv. Krunal Ghare and Sheetal Kandelkar from the AAP Teachers’ Alliance criticized the administration, stating that despite government claims of educational reforms and digital learning, the grassroots reality is bleak. They argued that the absence of teachers is severely affecting classroom teaching and indirectly contributing to rising juvenile crime in the city. “Education is a fundamental right, and its neglect is a violation of constitutional rights,” they said, adding that AAP will file a writ petition in the High Court seeking immediate appointments.
Meanwhile, Sunanda Wakhare, Administrative Officer of PMC’s Education Department, clarified that contractual teachers have been appointed to fill the temporary gap and that the process of regular recruitment is underway.
