Karnali Faces Acute Shortage of Over 5,500 Schoolteachers

Schools across Karnali Province are grappling with a severe shortage of teachers, with over 5,549 teaching positions remaining vacant for an extended period.

According to Balbir Sunar, Senior Education Officer at the Ministry of Social Development, there are 17,384 allotted teaching positions in 2,931 community schools across the province. However, only 11,865 teachers are currently in service, leaving a significant gap in the education sector.

The crisis is particularly severe in secondary and basic schools. A total of 605 secondary schools lacks 1,749 teachers, while 1,140 basic schools are operating despite a shortage of 2,699 teachers. Similarly, 259 higher secondary schools require an additional 457 teachers to function smoothly.

Officer Sunar emphasized that the most critical shortages are in English, Mathematics, and Science subjects, affecting the quality of education in the region. The persistent teacher shortfall poses a major challenge to ensuring quality education for students in Karnali.