Agartala, 15th July 2026: Tripura Congress President and former MLA Asish Kumar Saha has urged Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha to take immediate steps to address what he described as a deepening crisis in the state’s government education sector.
In a letter addressed to the Chief Minister, Saha expressed concern over the shortage of teachers, closure of schools, rising dropout rates, and increasing pressure on teaching staff. He claimed that around 18,000 government teacher posts are currently vacant in Tripura and alleged that several schools, particularly in rural and hilly areas, are facing severe manpower shortages, with more than 400 schools reportedly functioning with only one teacher.
Saha also raised concerns over the implementation of the Vidyajyoti School initiative, stating that many schools lack adequate English teachers. He alleged that students often receive textbooks only shortly before examinations, affecting the quality of education.
The Congress leader criticized the government’s decision to involve teachers and education workers in non-academic duties, including census-related work and other administrative assignments. He said such responsibilities are increasing physical and mental stress among teachers and negatively affecting students and parents.
Demanding the withdrawal of the decision to deploy around 9,000 teachers and education workers for census duties, Saha suggested that unemployed educated youth should be engaged on a contractual basis to complete the census process. He argued that such an arrangement would provide temporary employment opportunities to job seekers while allowing teachers to focus on classroom activities.
He also demanded that teachers should not be assigned Booth Level Officer (BLO) duties and that unemployed youths should be considered for such responsibilities instead.
Highlighting another major concern, Saha referred to the Supreme Court’s decision regarding the mandatory Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) qualification for teachers appointed before the introduction of the TET system. He claimed that the ruling could affect more than 10,000 teachers in Tripura and urged the Chief Minister to approach the Union Education Ministry for necessary legal amendments through an ordinance.
Saha appealed to the state government to take urgent and practical measures to protect teachers, improve the education system, and safeguard the interests of students across Tripura.
