New Delhi:The working conditions of teachers in the Northeast and "aspirational districts" are poor and there is a marked rural-urban disparity in terms of basic amenities as well as information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure, according to a UNESCO report.
The report, titled '2021 State of the Education Report for India: No Teacher, No Class', also states that while teacher availability has improved, pupil-teacher ratios are still adverse in secondary schools.
The teaching workforce has a deficit of over 1 million teachers at current student strength and the need is likely to grow, given the shortages of teachers in certain education levels and subjects such as early childhood education, special education, physical education, music, arts, and curricular streams of vocational education, the report says.
"In fifteen years, about 30 per cent of the current workforce will need to be replaced," it said.
"There is a pronounced need to improve both availability and deployment of qualified teachers in the north-eastern states of India. In terms of basic amenities, the working conditions of teachers in the northeast and the aspirational districts are poor. Provision of school libraries is low, information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure is very low, and there is marked rural-urban disparity.
"While teacher availability has improved, pupil-teacher ratios are adverse in secondary schools. Moreover, there is no information on the availability of special education, music, arts and physical education teachers. The availability and deployment of subject teachers too, is not well documented and monitored. Almost all single-teacher schools are in rural areas," the report said.
The report, released by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), has noted that the teaching profession has "average status" in India, but it is a career of choice for women and youth from rural areas in particular.