Political Row Erupts Again Over Teacher Recruitment
A fresh political controversy has erupted in Andhra Pradesh over the recruitment of teachers. The YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) has launched sharp criticism over the way teacher recruitment was handled under previous governments, particularly alleging that during the Chandrababu Naidu-led government, DSC (District Selection Committee) notifications were issued and examinations were conducted, but candidates were ultimately left to approach the courts for relief.
On the other hand, the YSRCP claims that after Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy’s government came to power, it not only addressed the grievances of candidates who had suffered injustice in earlier DSC recruitments but also undertook fresh teacher recruitment.
According to figures released by the YSRCP, the Jagan government filled 23,699 teacher posts over its five-year tenure through various DSC recruitments, special recruitments and Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV) appointments.
So, how did these 23,699 appointments come about? What happened to DSC recruitments during the Chandrababu government? And what did the Jagan government do for candidates from older DSC recruitments?
23,699 Teacher Posts in Five Years: The Breakdown
The YSRCP says that the Jagan government filled a total of 23,699 teacher posts during its five-year tenure. The figure includes appointments made to resolve pending issues from older DSC recruitments as well as fresh recruitments.
| DSC / Recruitment | Posts Filled |
|---|---|
| 1998 DSC | 3,864 |
| 2008 DSC | 1,910 |
| 2014 DSC | 8,926 |
| 2018 DSC | 7,254 |
| 2018 Limited DSC | 24 |
| 2019 Special DSC | 521 |
| KGBV Regular Posts | 1,200 |
| Total | 23,699 |
The YSRCP argues that these figures show the government did not merely focus on fresh recruitment but also took steps to resolve the problems of DSC candidates whose appointments had remained pending for years.
DSC Under Chandrababu: From Notification to Court Cases
The YSRCP has strongly criticised the Chandrababu government over teacher recruitment.
According to the party, teacher recruitment was turned into a prolonged process, with a DSC notification being issued in 2018, after the government had already been in power for several years.
The YSRCP alleges that the recruitment process was not completed properly, leaving candidates in uncertainty and forcing them to approach the courts.
According to the party’s version, the DSC process was initiated for 7,902 teacher posts, but only around 300 posts were ultimately filled, while the remaining candidates were allegedly left without a resolution.
The YSRCP has questioned whether this reflected the government’s commitment to teacher recruitment and demanded accountability over the pending appointments.
2014 DSC: 10,313 Posts Announced, But What Happened Next?
The YSRCP claims that a similar situation occurred with the 2014 DSC.
According to the party, a DSC notification was issued for 10,313 posts, examinations were conducted, but the recruitment process was not completed as expected.
Candidates who had appeared for the examination were reportedly forced to wait for results and appointments, with some eventually resorting to protests and legal action.
The political question raised by the YSRCP is straightforward: Is issuing a notification and conducting an examination enough, or does the government also have a responsibility to complete the recruitment and appoint successful candidates?
The Problem Goes Back to the 1998 DSC
The YSRCP says the problems surrounding teacher recruitment are not new.
According to the party, candidates who were affected by the 1998 DSC recruitment in undivided Andhra Pradesh had been waiting for justice for many years.
The party claims that the issue remained unresolved for decades and that the Jagan government eventually took steps to address the grievances of these candidates.
After Jagan Came to Power: Focus on Pending DSC Cases
The YSRCP says that after the Jagan government came to power, it took steps to ensure that pending teacher recruitment issues were addressed.
The party claims the government focused particularly on long-pending DSC cases and court-related matters, with the objective of providing relief to candidates who had been waiting for appointments for years.
According to the YSRCP, special attention was given to the 2018 DSC candidates, whose recruitment had become entangled in legal disputes.
7,254 Posts for 2018 DSC Candidates
The YSRCP claims that the Jagan government provided significant relief to candidates affected by the 2018 DSC recruitment.
According to the party, after focusing on court cases and pending issues, appointments were provided to around 7,254 candidates.
The YSRCP presents this as one of the major achievements of the Jagan government in resolving a recruitment process that had remained incomplete.
The party’s central political argument is that while the notification had been issued in 2018, it was the subsequent government that took steps to resolve the pending recruitment issue.
24 Appointments Under the 2018 Limited DSC
The government also took steps in connection with the 2018 Limited DSC, according to the YSRCP.
The party says 24 candidates from this category were provided appointments.
Although the number was relatively small, the YSRCP argues that the government considered the individual grievances of candidates whose appointments had remained unresolved.
2019 Special DSC: 521 Teacher Posts Filled
The YSRCP says that the government did not limit its efforts to resolving old recruitment disputes.
It claims that a Special DSC was conducted in 2019, through which 521 teacher posts were filled.
According to the party, this recruitment took place alongside efforts to address pending cases from earlier DSC examinations.
3,864 1998 DSC Candidates Given Posts Under MTS
The issue concerning candidates from the 1998 DSC was also addressed, according to the details released by the YSRCP.
The party says steps were taken to provide relief to 4,059 candidates who had suffered injustice in the recruitment process.
Of them, 3,864 candidates were appointed under the Minimum Time Scale (MTS), according to the YSRCP.
The party describes these appointments as an effort to resolve a recruitment issue that had remained pending for years.
1,910 Remaining 2008 DSC Candidates Appointed
The YSRCP also claims that the Jagan government addressed the issue of candidates left out of the 2008 DSC recruitment.
According to the party, 1,910 candidates were appointed as MTS teachers.
The YSRCP argues that this demonstrates that the government focused on pending recruitment issues spanning multiple DSC cycles, from 1998 and 2008 to 2014 and 2018.
1,200 KGBV Regular Posts Also Included
The overall figure of 23,699 appointments also includes 1,200 regular KGBV posts, according to the figures cited by the YSRCP.
Thus, the party’s calculation combines DSC appointments, special recruitment and KGBV regular appointments to arrive at the total figure of 23,699 teacher posts.
Notification for Another 6,100 Posts in February 2024
The recruitment process did not end there, according to the details cited by the YSRCP.
In February 2024, a notification was issued for another 6,100 teacher posts, and a schedule was also announced.
The Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) was conducted as part of the recruitment process, according to the party.
However, the YSRCP says the recruitment process could not be completed because the election process began and the Model Code of Conduct came into force, preventing the declaration of results.
The party therefore argues that the government had initiated the recruitment process for the 6,100 posts, but the process was interrupted by the election code.
Notifications on One Side, Pending Issues on the Other
The political debate over teacher recruitment is no longer limited to the latest DSC notification.
The larger question is about the fate of candidates who had been waiting for appointments from older DSC recruitments for years.
According to the YSRCP, recruitment processes linked to the 2014 and 2018 DSCs did not reach a satisfactory conclusion during the Chandrababu government’s tenure, forcing candidates to approach courts.
The party claims that after coming to power, the Jagan government addressed various pending issues related to the 1998, 2008, 2014 and 2018 DSCs, conducted the 2019 Special DSC and filled KGBV posts, taking the total number of appointments to 23,699.
The Teacher Recruitment Numbers Need to Be Examined
The political battle over teacher recruitment is once again intensifying.
On one side are allegations that notifications were issued but recruitment processes were not completed. On the other is the Jagan government’s claim that it resolved long-pending DSC issues and provided appointments to thousands of candidates.
According to the figures released by the YSRCP, the Jagan government filled 23,699 teacher posts over five years. This includes 3,864 appointments from the 1998 DSC, 1,910 from the 2008 DSC, 8,926 from the 2014 DSC, 7,254 from the 2018 DSC, 24 from the 2018 Limited DSC, 521 through the 2019 Special DSC and 1,200 KGBV regular posts.
At the same time, the YSRCP says a notification was issued for 6,100 additional teacher posts in February 2024, with TET also conducted, but the recruitment process could not proceed to the result stage because of the Model Code of Conduct during the elections.
However, these figures and claims need to be cross-checked against official government orders, recruitment records, court judgments and relevant departmental data before being treated as independently verified facts.
Politically, the central questions remain:
Who provided justice to teacher candidates who had been waiting for years? Who issued notifications without completing the recruitment process? And who resolved the pending DSC cases?
These competing claims and recruitment figures have now become a major point of political debate over teacher appointments in Andhra Pradesh.
