Palghar district is set to receive 297 additional primary teachers through the supplementary phase of the ongoing recruitment process, a move expected to bring vacancies in Zilla Parishad schools below 10% of sanctioned teaching posts.
The recruitment follows the appointment of 818 teachers last month through the Pavitra portal. Of these, 804 were selected for Marathi-medium schools and 14 for Urdu-medium schools. The appointees have been instructed to join within a month, according to the report.
Palghar has 3,328 schools, including 2,129 operated by the Zilla Parishad. Around 7,000 teaching posts are sanctioned in the Zilla Parishad school system. Despite the presence of 496 contractual teachers, approximately 1,200 teaching positions remained vacant at the end of June, creating staffing pressure in several schools.
Under the approved recruitment plan, permission was granted to fill 1,294 posts in Marathi-medium Zilla Parishad schools and 36 posts in Urdu-medium schools. The first phase has already filled 818 of these positions. The additional 297 teachers identified in the supplementary list will be recruited through counselling scheduled for the following week.
The supplementary recruitment includes 247 teachers for Classes 1 to 5, 47 Marathi-language teachers, three teachers for science and mathematics, and two teachers for Urdu-medium schools. The appointments are intended to address staffing shortages in coastal areas and schools that currently have no teacher, only one teacher or more sanctioned capacity than available staff.
Once both recruitment phases are completed, Palghar is expected to receive around 1,300 new primary teachers. The district administration expects this to reduce the proportion of vacant teaching posts to below 10% of the total sanctioned strength. Manoj Ranade, chief executive officer of the Palghar Zilla Parishad, said the improved staffing position should allow teachers to pay closer attention to primary-grade students and help strengthen their educational foundation.
The recruitment also affects the future of between 450 and 490 contractual teachers currently working in the district. These teachers have reportedly been paid an honorarium of Rs 20,000 a month for the past 15 to 18 months. Their appointments were made under the state government’s decision of 12 February 2025, with the condition that the contractual arrangement would continue until permanent teachers were appointed.
The Zilla Parishad is considering efforts to accommodate the contractual teachers in vacant posts until the government issues further instructions. The education department said between 50 and 100 contractual teachers from Palghar have already secured regular-service opportunities in Palghar or other districts. Greater clarity on the remaining contractual workforce is expected after the current recruitment process is completed.
The Zilla Parishad also plans to organise special training classes for young people from aspirational areas who want to become teachers. The initiative is intended to help contractual and other candidates prepare for the Teacher Eligibility Test, since recruitment is based on TET scores. The next immediate milestone is the counselling process for the 297 supplementary appointments.