In a worrying development, 17 out of the 194 model schools in Telangana have been left without a single teacher due to recent transfers. Several schools, particularly in remote areas, are now devoid of both teachers and students. For example, Siripur Model School in Adilabad district, which once had more than 10 teachers, now has none. The situation is similar at Narnoor Model School in the same district.
The issue has worsened following recent teacher transfers, which has led to an acute shortage of staff in many schools. Model schools located in urban areas have seen an influx of teachers, while those in rural and remote regions are left understaffed or entirely vacant.
Schools in the most remote areas of Adilabad and Kumram Bheem Asifabad districts, as well as in Sangareddy district, have been hit the hardest. Teachers previously posted in these regions have transferred to urban areas.
In the latest round of transfers, which took place on Saturday, 2,757 teachers were shifted, including 1,923 Post Graduate Teachers (PGTs) and 745 Trained Graduate Teachers (TGTs). Every model school requires at least 20 teachers to handle around 500 students, yet several schools have been left with just a handful—or in some cases, none. For example, the model school in Asifabad, which has 807 students—the highest number in the state—now has only two teachers, down from 17. Similarly, Bazarhathnoor Model School in Adilabad district, which once had 16 teachers, now has just three.
Also, the hourly-based teachers (HBTs) have been hit hard. HBTs were previously hired to fill gaps when regular teachers were unavailable, but the recent transfers have displaced around 1,200 HBTs across the state. With their jobs abruptly terminated mid-academic year, many of these teachers and their families are now facing financial difficulties.