Govt schools have shortage of 45,590 teachers: Karnataka Minister
Belagavi (Karnataka) (PTI): Karnataka has a shortage of 45,590 teachers against the sanctioned post of 1,78,935 for 41,088 government primary schools, state School Education and Literacy Minister Madhu Bangarappa said on Thursday.
In a written reply to the starred question of BJP MLA Harish Poonja, Bangarappa said in the Assembly that there is a shortfall of 12,134 teachers in government high schools. Out of 44,144 sanctioned posts, 32,010 posts were filled.
According to the minister, the state has 5,024 government high schools.
"At present, to address the vacancies and for the academic year 2025–2026, 40,000 guest teachers in primary schools and 11,000 guest teachers in high schools—totalling 51,000—have been appointed to overcome the shortage of teachers and to ensure that students’ education is not affected," the minister replied.
Bangarappa said these teachers will start teaching children from the next academic year. In addition, special teachers have been appointed with a view to providing the necessary guidance to students with disabilities, he added.
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"There are 41,088 government primary schools in the state, for which 1,78,935 posts have been sanctioned. Of these, 1,33,345 posts have been filled, while 45,590 posts remain vacant. Further, there are 5,024 government high schools in the state, for which 44,144 posts have been sanctioned. Of these, 32,010 posts have been filled and 12,134 posts are vacant," the minister said in his reply to Poonja.
During the discussion, Poonja highlighted that the salary given to the guest lecturers was too less compared to their counterparts, who are permanent staff.
To this, the minister said their salaries have been increased by Rs 2,000.
The BJP MLA also highlighted that the cost of eggs and bananas given to the children under the government scheme have gone up from Rs 5 to Rs 7.5 per egg.
While the sanctioned amount given by the state government remained the same, the onus has fallen on the school staff to give eggs and bananas to the children every day.
Replying to this, he said a renowned charitable organisation has agreed to provide Rs 1,591 crore to provide eggs to the children in government schools.
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During the discussion, Poonja also sought to know the truth about the cancer scare associated with egg consumption.
In reply, Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao said there was no need to panic since one company was found using banned antibiotics.
According to Rao, in 2024, 147 egg samples were tested, out of which only one had failed.
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Experience comes when you play bigger teams in bilateral series: Rashid Khan
Chennai (PTI): Afghanistan skipper Rashid Khan called for more bilateral series against stronger cricketing nations after his team signed off from the T20 World Cup on a high, defeating Canada in their final group match here on Thursday.
Afghanistan played some exhilarating cricket, going down to South Africa in a gripping second Super Over after the scores were tied, a humdinger that provided one of the early thrills of the World Cup.
However, the spin-bowling stalwart said Afghanistan could make significant strides if they get regular opportunities to compete against stronger cricketing nations.
"Couple of areas to improve, with the batting, the middle order got a bit stuck against the big teams, and then with the bowling the death overs. That comes when you play the bigger teams in bilateral series," said Rashid after his team defeat Canada by 82 runs, with him returning excellent figures of 2 for 19.
The stalwart said the side had arrived well prepared for the tournament and produced some breathtaking cricket, but admitted the narrow defeat to South Africa proved costly and remained a painful setback.
"We were well-prepared (for the tournament), we played some unbelievable cricket. The game against South Africa, that really hurt everyone. We had to win one of those (first two) games and see how the tournament unfolded. We'll take some positive things from this World Cup and look forward," he said.
With head coach Jonathan Trott set to part ways with the team, Rashid described the departure as an "emotional" moment for the side.
"I think we had some wonderful times with him. Where we are now, he played a main role. It's emotional to see him leave us, but that's how life is. We wish him all the best and somewhere down the line we see him again."
Ibrahim Zadran, who was named Player of the Match for his unbeaten 95 off 56 balls, said it was satisfying to finally register a substantial score after two below-par outings.
"I enjoyed it, didn't play better cricket in first two innings, which I expect. Wanted to back my skills, really enjoyed it. Pressure was there, it's there all the time. I want to put myself in pressure situations and enjoy it," said Zadran.
"Wanted to play positive cricket, rotate strike and punish bad ball, create partnerships and this is what I have done."
