West Bengal's School Education Department is actively considering a 'One Class, One Teacher' policy for state primary schools, with state school education minister Dipak Burman announcing on Thursday, 29 October 2026, that the initiative could be rolled out from the next academic year. The proposal would assign a single teacher full responsibility for all subjects in a given class, and would also link the teacher's annual increments to the academic progress of that class.

What the Policy Entails

Under the proposed framework, each teacher would take ownership of one class for the entire academic year, handling all subjects rather than rotating across classrooms. Minister Burman explained that the model is designed to deepen the bond between teachers and students and improve overall education quality.

'When a teacher takes charge of a class for an entire year, he will get a clear idea of the weaknesses and strengths of the students, which will help in their overall development,' Burman said. He added that alongside the pedagogical shift, the government has plans to 'bring major changes in the evaluation process of teachers.'

Notably, the proposal also ties financial incentives to outcomes — annual increments for teachers would be linked to student progress, a significant shift from the current seniority- and service-based increment structure.

The Rationale: Accountability and Ownership

Burman cited discussions with academicians as the basis for the reform. 'After discussing the issues with academicians, we observed that if each of us has a fixed responsibility, then our dedication to that work also increases,' he said. The minister framed this as a structural solution to a systemic problem: when teachers are spread across multiple classes, sustained engagement with any individual student becomes difficult.

This comes amid broader concerns about learning outcomes in government primary schools across India, where multi-grade and multi-subject teaching arrangements have long been flagged as a barrier to quality education.

Teacher-to-Student Ratio: Plans for Improvement

The minister also outlined the state government's strategy to address the teacher shortage underlying much of the problem. The current teacher-to-student ratio in West Bengal's primary section stands at 1:26, and in the secondary section at approximately 1:50.

'If 13,000 teachers are recruited at the primary level, the ratio can be improved to 1:20 at that level,' Burman said, adding that similar corrective steps are planned for the secondary level. The recruitment drive, if executed, would be one of the largest teacher hiring exercises in the state in recent years.

Teachers' Body Backs the Move

The proposal has already drawn support from the All-Bengal Primary Teachers' Association. General secretary Dhrubsekhar Mondal welcomed the idea, saying, 'It is necessary to give responsibility to one teacher for each class. If one teacher is given responsibility for multiple classes, it is difficult to ensure the overall progress of the students.'

The association's endorsement adds credibility to the proposal, though implementation timelines and the specifics of the teacher evaluation overhaul are yet to be formally announced. The government is expected to share detailed guidelines ahead of the next academic year.