Paperman Media (Bhubaneswar)- The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has expressed deep concern over the alarming deterioration of the school education system in Odisha under the BJP Government, as revealed by the UDISE+ 2025-26 Report released by the Union Ministry of Education. The report clearly shows that instead of addressing the shortage of teachers in government schools, the BJP Government has allowed the number of single-teacher schools to increase rapidly. As a result, the quality of education of thousands of students across the State has been seriously affected.
Today, BJD Spokesperson and Media Coordinator Dr. Lenin Mohanty, in a press statement, said that the official data released by the Government of India has exposed the true picture behind the BJP Government's claims of strengthening school education. While the Government claims to have recruited thousands of teachers, its own official statistics present a completely different reality. During the 2024-25 academic year, Odisha had 1,089 single-teacher schools. In 2025-26, this number increased to 1,458. In other words, within just one year of the BJP Government, the number of single-teacher schools has increased by 369, representing an increase of nearly 34 percent. During the 2023-24 academic year, the number stood at 1,065. The present increase of 393 schools amounts to nearly 37 percent. This is not an allegation by the BJD but official data released by the Union Ministry of Education.
The price of this administrative failure is now being paid by 59,672 students who are studying in single-teacher schools. During the last one year alone, the number of students studying in such schools has increased by 11,732 clearly reflecting the seriousness of the crisis. The worst affected are children from rural, tribal and remote areas, where access to quality education is already limited.
Dr. Mohanty further said that a single teacher is being forced to simultaneously teach multiple classes, handle different subjects, maintain school records, supervise the implementation of government schemes and discharge administrative responsibilities such as election duty, census work and disaster management. This is detrimental to the education of children. If the BJP Government had indeed recruited thousands of teachers, then why has the number of single-teacher schools increased so rapidly? The Government's own data clearly establishes the huge gap between its claims and the ground reality.
The retirement of teachers is not an unforeseen event. The Government is well aware in advance of how many teaching posts will fall vacant and when. Therefore, such a sharp increase in the number of single-teacher schools reflects poor human resource planning, delays in recruitment, stagnation in promotions and failure in teacher deployment. Most of the single-teacher schools are located in tribal and backward areas. Although the BJP Government repeatedly claims to prioritise tribal welfare, its failure to appoint adequate teachers in these areas clearly exposes the gap between its promises and its actual performance.
Dr. Mohanty further stated that the State Government should immediately fill all vacant teaching posts. It should ensure that every government school has at least three to four teachers. All pending recruitment and promotion processes should be completed without delay. Teacher appointments should be prioritised in tribal and remote areas. The increase in single-teacher schools is not merely an administrative issue; it is a serious threat to the educational future of Odisha's children. Instead of remaining confined to political propaganda, the BJP Government must immediately take effective steps to ensure that every child has access to adequate teachers and quality education. The future of nearly 60,000 children should not be sacrificed due to the Government's administrative failure.
