Archive · 28 Nov 2025
Teacher Shortage Hits Schools in Surat and Noida
In Surat and Noida, many teachers from municipal schools have been asked to help with a special government activity called SIR.
This means there are not enough teachers left to teach the students.
Parents are worried because exams are coming up soon, and their children might not be ready.
The schools have merged classes and assigned teachers based on their subjects, but there is still a struggle to cover all subjects.
The teachers' associations are asking the government to make sure there are enough teachers in schools, but the officials say they are trying to involve the minimum number of teachers in BLO work.
The teachers are working hard, but it's difficult to manage everything with so few staff.
13 of 16 teachers at Mahatma Jyotiba Phule School in Surat deployed as BLOs, leaving only 3 teachers for 582 students.
Over 2,000 teachers across 362 Surat municipal schools are involved in SIR work, creating a staff shortage.
In Noida and Greater Noida, several schools are functioning with fewer staff due to teachers being deployed as BLOs.
Parents are concerned about their children's exam preparation due to the teacher shortage and lack of homework.
Teachers' associations in both Surat and Noida have requested that at least 50% of the teaching staff remain in schools.
- Who
- Parents of students, Teachers, School Principals, Municipal School Teachers’ Association, Uttar Pradesh Primary Teachers’ Association, Additional District Magistrate, Noida
- What
- Teacher shortage due to deployment as Block Level Officers (BLOs) for Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise
- When
- Exams for the second semester are approaching next month (Surat), December 10 (Noida)
- Where
- Mahatma Jyotiba Phule School (Surat), Accher Primary School (Greater Noida), Hoshiyarpur Composite School (Noida), Gharbara’s Composite School (Noida)
- Why
- Over 50% of teaching staff in Surat and Noida municipal schools are assigned to BLO activities, creating a shortage
- Schools Affected
- Mahatma Jyotiba Phule School (Surat), Accher Primary School (Greater Noida), Hoshiyarpur Composite School (Noida), Gharbara’s Composite School (Noida)
- Number of Students
- 582 (Surat), 155 (Greater Noida), 653 (Noida), 224 (Noida)
- Teachers Deployed as BLOs
- 13 out of 16 (Surat), 4 out of 8 (Greater Noida), 8 out of 13 (Noida), 14 out of 20 (Noida)
- Teachers Remaining
- 3 (Surat), 2 (Greater Noida), 6 (Noida)
- Total Teachers Assigned to SIR Work
- Over 2,000 (Surat), 1,800 (Noida)
- Parents' Concern
- Exams approaching, lack of teachers, insufficient homework
- Teachers' Association Demand
- At least 50% staff in schools
- SIR Exercise End Date
- December 4
- Exam Start Date
- December 10 (Noida)
Sources
Exams next month, teachers on SIR duty, Surat Municipal School Board faces angry parents
‘Workload, threat from officials, server issues, anonymous calls at night’: BLOs stage protest at Ahmedabad centre
‘Exams nearing… course not completed’: Teachers on SIR duty, students in Noida & Greater Noida pay the price
