Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has written to Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, urging the state government to expand teacher recruitment posts and address the grievances of candidates staging protests over the issue. The letter, dated 29 September, follows Gandhi's recent visit to Indore, where aspirants seeking teaching jobs raised the matter directly with him.

The Scale of the Vacancy Crisis

Gandhi's letter highlights a significant shortfall in teacher positions across the state's government schools. According to the letter, more than 1,00,000 teacher posts currently lie vacant in Madhya Pradesh's government schools, directly undermining the quality of education available to children. He further noted that the state's own Education Department had approved more than 1.15 lakh teacher posts, yet only around 15,000 posts are being filled under the ongoing recruitment drive.

The 2025 teacher recruitment process covers 13,089 Class III and 10,800 Class II posts — numbers that candidates argue fall far short of what is required. Many aspirants who performed well in recruitment examinations and have been serving as guest teachers continue to await permanent positions due to the limited number of advertised vacancies.

Age-Bar and Protest Crackdown Concerns

Gandhi also flagged the plight of candidates who have crossed the prescribed age limit while waiting for recruitment opportunities to materialise — a concern that points to years of deferred hiring. He questioned why candidates were compelled to resort to protests and hunger strikes to press their demands, alleging that instead of resolving grievances, authorities had issued notices to some of the demonstrators.

He urged Chief Minister Yadav to withdraw notices issued to protesting candidates and take concrete steps to address their demands. He also called for the immediate commencement of promotions and a second round of counselling for both Class II and Class III teacher recruitment.

The Government's Response

An official response from the Madhya Pradesh state government to Gandhi's letter was not immediately available. Deputy Chief Minister Jagdish Devda, when asked about the letter, said he had not yet seen it. 'I have not seen that letter. I will speak on the matter only after seeing the letter,' Devda said in response to queries.

Broader Political Context

This is not the first time Gandhi has written to Chief Minister Yadav on education and employment matters. Last month, he wrote to Yadav seeking resolution of pending appointments of OBC candidates under the state's 27 per cent reservation policy. That letter also referenced his 'Chhatron Ki Goonj' programme in Indore, during which students raised concerns about education, employment, and their future prospects.

The latest intervention fits into the Indian National Congress party's broader effort to target the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led state government on issues of education, unemployment, and recruitment ahead of continued political competition in Madhya Pradesh. With tens of thousands of young aspirants affected, the state government's response — or lack thereof — is likely to keep the issue in the political spotlight.