NITI Aayog Flags Teacher Crisis In Tripura
- By Thetripurapost Desk, Agartala
- May 08, 2026
- 511
A detailed study published by NITI Aayog on India’s school education sector has brought attention to both achievements and continuing shortcomings in the system, with several observations carrying major significance for Tripura’s education landscape.
The report, titled School Education System in India: Temporal Analysis and Policy Roadmap for Quality Enhancement, evaluates developments in the school education sector over the last decade, covering the period from 2014-15 to 2024-25. It also proposes future reforms in line with the objectives of National Education Policy 2020 and the Viksit Bharat@2047 vision.
According to the report, India has nearly achieved universal enrolment at the primary level. However, issues such as poor learning quality, inadequate infrastructure, shortage of teachers and weaknesses in school administration continue to affect the education sector in many states.
For Tripura, the findings highlight the immediate need for systemic reforms, rational deployment of teachers and improvement of school infrastructure through modernization initiatives.
The report states that Tripura currently has a total of 4,943 schools across different levels of education. This includes 2,453 primary schools, 1,261 upper primary schools, 665 secondary schools and 564 higher secondary schools.
The document further reveals that 340 schools in the state are operating with only a single teacher, serving a combined student enrolment of 6,492. It warns that multi-grade teaching environments without sufficient academic support adversely impact classroom learning and increase the burden on teachers.
Teacher vacancies have also emerged as a major challenge in the state’s government-run schools. Data included in the report shows that Tripura currently has vacancies for 6,006 elementary teachers, 843 secondary teachers and 1,171 senior secondary teachers.
The report observes that the shortage of teachers, particularly in rural and underdeveloped regions, has a direct effect on student retention, transition rates and the overall standard of education.
Despite these concerns, Tripura has registered a major improvement in the transition rate from secondary to higher secondary education. According to the report, the transition rate increased significantly from 49.5 percent to 83.5 percent.
At the same time, the report notes a rise in dropout rates at the upper primary stage in Tripura, increasing from 2.72 percent to 3.2 percent. The secondary school dropout rate in the state stood at 11.3 percent during the 2024-25 academic year.
On foundational learning indicators, Tripura recorded 56 percent performance in the language category and 52 percent in mathematics.
The PARAKH 2024 evaluation referenced in the report categorizes Tripura as a mid-performing state in terms of learning outcomes.
According to the assessment findings, Tripura scored 55 percent in language, 43 percent in mathematics and 45 percent in the “World Around Us” category.
The report concludes that states with stronger foundational education systems consistently perform better at advanced stages of schooling and emphasizes the need to strengthen early-grade literacy and numeracy programmes across the country.