Mumbai: More than half the teachers in primary grades (class 1-5) in schools across the country don’t have the appropriate professional qualifications, while around 30% are teaching subjects in which they lack expertise, reveals a study by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS).

The study, titled ‘Right Teacher for Every Child: State of Teachers, Teaching and Teacher Education 2023’, looks at the social and gender profile, qualification and wages of teachers, among other aspects of school education. The study, released on Thursday, is based on existing available data as well as findings of a survey conducted across eight states, covering 422 schools, 3615 teachers and 422 head teachers. This is the second edition of the biennial report, which was first published by TISS’ Centre of Excellence in Teacher Education (CTET) in 2022.

The TISS survey

The survey found that a significant number of teachers haven’t undergone the necessary courses relevant to the levels they teach. The primary schools fare the worst on this parameter, with only 45.72% of elementary teachers having a Diploma in Elementary Education (DElEd), Diploma in Education (DEd), Bachelor in Elementary Education (BElEd). The situation is better in upper primary and secondary grades where 57% and 79% of teachers, respectively, possess a Bachelor of Education (BEd).

The researchers found that private schools prefer to hire more BEd teachers (42%) for primary grades than those specially trained in elementary education (22%). In contrast, the government and government-aided schools have 60% and 68% teachers, respectively, with the appropriate DEd or DElEd qualification for these classes.

Teachers teaching mathematics without degree

Another key finding is that only 70% of teachers in both government and private schools are teaching subjects which they studied in their degree courses. The greatest discrepancy was found in the case of mathematics, where between 35% and 41% of teachers did not have mathematics as a subject at the undergraduate level, and were involved with teaching the subject. Around 4-5% of teachers are teaching all the subjects.

The survey also revealed an acute shortage of teachers for physical education, art, and music in schools across the country. On this front, private schools were better off than their government counterparts, while schools in urban areas had more full-time teachers for these subjects.