Archive · 19 Aug 2026
Kerala’s Falling Enrolment Leaves Primary Teacher Aspirants Waiting
Many people in Kerala trained to become primary-school teachers and passed a government selection test.
There are 6,114 people on the latest list, but only 239 have received jobs.
The main reason is that fewer children are entering schools.
Kerala has also lost many students because of lower birth rates and because some parents choose private CBSE schools.
Schools receive teachers according to how many children they have.
When there are fewer children, fewer new teacher jobs become available.
The candidates are protesting because their list will expire in May 2028.
They want smaller classes and more hiring, but the government says it needs time to study the cost and effects.
Kerala’s 2025 lower-primary teacher rank list contains 6,114 candidates, but only 239 have been appointed so far.
Rank holders have staged a 41-day indefinite agitation outside the state secretariat, seeking more appointments.
Government and aided schools lost 3.33 lakh students between 2021-22 and 2025-26, while first-standard enrolment fell to 2,06,706 this year.
Officials and teachers’ representatives link fewer vacancies to declining birth rates, lower enrolment and parents choosing private CBSE schools.
Protesters want a lower-primary teacher-student ratio of 1:25, while the government says it needs 45 days to study the financial and administrative impact.
- Who
- The affected candidates are lower-primary teacher rank holders, including protesters such as S Valarmathi, while the Kerala government and Education Minister N. Samsudheen are responding.
- What
- Candidates on Kerala’s 2025 lower-primary teacher rank list are protesting because only 239 of 6,114 listed candidates have been appointed.
- When
- The agitation had lasted 41 days when the report was published; the rank list began in June 2025 and expires in May 2028.
- Where
- The protest is taking place outside Kerala’s state secretariat, while the issue affects government and aided schools across Kerala.
- Why
- Falling student enrolment, declining birth rates and increased use of private CBSE schools have reduced vacancies; protesters also seek changes to staffing rules.
Rank Holders’ Demands
Government and Fiscal Concerns
Teacher-student ratio
Rank Holders’ Demands
Rank holders want the lower-primary ratio changed from 1:30 to 1:25 to create more teaching positions and reduce class sizes.
Government and Fiscal Concerns
The government says the change would affect the entire education department, while experts warn it could create a major financial liability and trigger similar demands in other school levels.
More appointments
Rank Holders’ Demands
Protesters want vacancies in aided schools to be shared so that one PSC-listed candidate is appointed for every two vacancies.
Government and Fiscal Concerns
Officials point to declining enrolment and staff-fixation rules, which mean vacancies may not continue when schools lack the required number of students.
Job security
Rank Holders’ Demands
Rank holders say their opportunities are disappearing as the three-year list runs toward its May 2028 expiry, with some candidates also facing age limits and limited alternatives.
Government and Fiscal Concerns
The government says teachers already appointed will receive job security and has promised new regulations if existing rules do not provide it.
- Rank-list candidates
- 6,114 candidates were recruited for the three-year lower-primary teacher rank list beginning June 2025.
- Appointments so far
- 239 candidates had been appointed.
- Rank-list expiry
- The existing list expires in May 2028.
- Student decline
- Government and aided schools lost 3.33 lakh students between 2021-22 and 2025-26.
- First-standard enrolment
- Enrolment fell from 2,34,476 last academic year to 2,06,706 this year.
- Current staffing ratio
- Lower-primary schools use a teacher-student ratio of 1:30.
- Government response
- The government requested 45 days to study the protesters’ demands.
- Education spending
- The 2025-26 budget estimates Rs 29,164.72 crore for education, including Rs 9,803.54 crore for elementary education.