Bhopal: The Madhya Pradesh School Education Department has clarified that vacancies cannot be added to or removed from an existing teacher recruitment advertisement after examination results are declared. It said new vacancies have to be notified through fresh recruitment drives in accordance with legal provisions.
The clarification comes amid demands from candidates for an increase in advertised posts for higher secondary, secondary and primary teacher recruitments.
The department said vacancies arising from candidates not being available in reserved categories, including backlog posts, cannot simply be filled by candidates from other categories. Such vacancies will instead be included in subsequent recruitment exercises.
What the Department Clarified
- The number of posts advertised in a recruitment cannot be increased or reduced after the examination results are declared.
- Newly identified vacancies can only be advertised through a fresh recruitment process.
- Backlog vacancies reserved for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes cannot be filled by candidates from the unreserved or OBC categories.
- The department said the claim that recruitment against vacant posts is not being undertaken is incorrect.
- It also clarified that candidates currently protesting are not part of the selected lists and that selected candidates are not participating in the protests.
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Higher Secondary Teacher Recruitment 2023
For the Higher Secondary Teacher Recruitment 2023, the department had advertised 7,591 posts. Of these, 7,086 posts were available for recruitment after 13% of the posts were kept on hold in connection with OBC reservation.
The Employee Selection Board provided a selection list of 3,650 candidates, of whom 3,194 candidates have received appointment orders. The appointment process for these candidates was completed in 2024.
The department said 456 candidates on the waiting list have not yet been processed because of court cases pending before the Supreme Court.
The department also referred to a March 17, 2025 order concerning changes to the recruitment rules and a supplementary selection examination. It said the state subsequently approached the Supreme Court through a Special Leave Petition, where a stay was granted on the direction to conduct the supplementary examination. An application seeking an early hearing is scheduled for September 25, 2026.
Another case concerns the three-year relaxation in the maximum age limit for the 2023 higher secondary teacher selection examination. The Jabalpur High Court, in an October 15, 2024 judgment, allowed the additional three-year relaxation and directed that a fresh selection examination be conducted for eligible candidates.
The Supreme Court subsequently directed maintenance of status quo in an order dated May 2, 2025.
Secondary Teacher Recruitment 2025-26
- 7,082 posts advertised; 6,468 available after 614 OBC posts were kept on hold.
- Selection list issued for 4,005 candidates; 3,699 received appointment orders.
- Remaining 306 candidates were found ineligible; replacements from the waiting list are being processed.
- 409 SC and 2,054 ST posts remain vacant due to the non-availability of eligible candidates.
Primary Teacher Recruitment 2025-26
- 10,150 posts were advertised; 9,161 were available after 989 OBC posts were kept on hold.
- Selection list issued for 7,962 candidates; appointment orders given to 6,922.
- 1,040 cases remain under process, including document and disability verification.
- 575 candidates from the waiting list will be considered for category-wise appointments.
- 1,199 ST vacancies remain unfilled due to the non-availability of eligible candidates.
Reserved and Held Vacancies
According to the department, eligible candidates were not available for 3,436 higher secondary teacher posts, 2,463 secondary teacher posts and 1,199 primary teacher posts in the concerned reserved categories.
In addition, around 2,108 posts remain vacant because of the 13% OBC posts kept on hold.
These vacancies cannot be filled by candidates from other categories and will have to be dealt with according to the applicable recruitment provisions.
72,901 Vacancies and Pending Promotions
The School Education Department also provided details of vacancies in the cadre of principals and teachers.
It said there are 72,901 vacant posts, including 59,073 posts linked to promotions. A total of 3,990 posts are included among the OBC posts kept on hold, while 8,038 posts are backlog vacancies.
The issue of promotions is pending in light of Supreme Court directions. It sought an opinion from the Standing Counsel, who advised that only teachers who have cleared the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) should be considered for promotion.
Recruitment against vacancies arising after promotions will be undertaken subsequently, while backlog vacancies will be included in new recruitment advertisements.
Fresh Recruitment Vacancies Being Calculated
The department said preparations are underway for upcoming teacher recruitment and that vacancies up to July 2027 are currently being calculated. Fresh recruitment advertisements are expected to be issued soon.
