Digital Desk, Bhopal: A shocking situation has emerged from Madhya Pradesh, where around 1,900 government schools are allegedly functioning without any teachers. The Madhya Pradesh High Court has issued a notice to the state government on a petition highlighting the issue.
The development comes days after a separate controversy involving a hospital in Madhya Pradesh, which reportedly employs doctors, nurses, lab technicians, and pharmacists, came to light. Transfer orders were issued for the staff, but it was alleged that the hospital existed only on official documents and not on the ground.
According to a report by Live Law, a division bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court comprising Acting Chief Justice Vivek Rusia and Justice Pradeep Mittal heard the matter on July 14 and directed notices to be issued to the respondents. The state government has been asked to submit its response within four weeks.
The petition was filed by advocate Saurabh Tripathi, who also argued the matter before the court. It is based on findings from a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report that examined 66,814 government schools in Madhya Pradesh between 2018 and March 2023.
According to the petition, the audit revealed that 1,895 schools had no teachers at all. Of these, 1,379 schools had enrolled students but were still functioning without any teaching staff.
Uneven Teacher Deployment Highlighted in Petition
The petition alleged that teacher allocation across Madhya Pradesh has been highly uneven. It claimed that 435 schools had no enrolled students but still had teachers posted there. Meanwhile, 320 schools without sanctioned teaching positions reportedly had 128 teachers assigned to them.
The petition also pointed out a decline in Class 10 pass percentages, stating that the rate dropped from 67 per cent in 2018-19 to 38 per cent in 2021-22.
According to a report published in the Indore edition of Dainik Bhaskar in April 2026, the petition further alleged that education officials in districts including Indore, Mandla, and Sheopur failed to conduct mandatory school inspections as required under the rules.
The petition further claimed that 14 officials from the offices of District Education Officers, Block Education Officers, and DIET were sent to work in other departments, while their salaries, amounting to approximately Rs 3.27 crore in total, continued to be paid by the School Education Department.
CAG Report Reveals Shortage of Teachers
Calling the situation as a violation of children’s constitutional right to education, the petitioner requested that the court direct the state government to appoint teachers within a fixed timeframe in the 1,895 schools that currently have no teachers.
The petitioner also sought the formation of a high-level committee to investigate the method of teacher deployment in government schools.
After considering the petition, the bench issued an order directing notices to be sent to the state government and other parties involved in the matter. The court order stated, “Upon payment of process fees within seven working days, notices shall be issued to the respondents through RAD mode. The response to the notices must be submitted within four weeks.”