3,600 teacher posts to be filled

AP Government plans fresh DSC notification around Ugadi

In a major relief to thousands of unemployed teaching aspirants in Andhra Pradesh, the State Government is preparing to issue a fresh District Selection Committee (DSC) notification to recruit teachers, with the announcement likely to be made around the upcoming Ugadi festival. The move follows Education Minister Nara Lokesh’s earlier assurance that teacher recruitment examinations would be conducted annually.

According to preliminary data compiled by the School Education Department, nearly 3,600 teaching posts have been identified as vacant across the state. These include 1,200 posts in Model Schools, Residential and Welfare Educational Institutions, around 1,700 vacancies in government, Panchayat Raj and municipal schools, and up to 700 posts in Special Education for children with special needs.

Officials indicated that unfilled vacancies from last year’s DSC notification, issued in April for 16,347 posts but left partially vacant due to a shortage of eligible candidates, may also be included in the upcoming recruitment drive. To ease concerns among aspirants, the government has decided to retain the same syllabus and guidelines followed in the previous DSC examination. Considering the limited preparation time available for candidates, the proposed introduction of English proficiency and computer-based tests has been deferred for the time being.

The government is also examining the possibility of granting weightage to contract teachers working with children with special needs. In line with Supreme Court directions, around 800 teachers who have completed ten years of service and qualified in the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) will be provided a minimum time-scale pay structure. However, they will still need to qualify through DSC to secure permanent appointments, though discussions are underway on extending additional weightage to them in the recruitment process.

Speaking in the Assembly while responding to multiple questions from legislators, Minister Lokesh also addressed issues related to employees working under the Samagra Shiksha programme.