Cuttack: The Orissa High Court on Tuesday expressed serious concern over the state government’s decision to appoint retired teachers as guest faculty in schools, while overlooking unemployed qualified youth.
Hearing a petition filed by Arpita Priyadarshini and three others, a division bench led by Justice Dikshit Krishna Shripad asked why regular recruitment processes were not being conducted to fill vacant teacher posts. The court also raised a pointed question: “Where will the educated youth go?”
The petition challenges the state government’s August 1, 2025, decision to appoint 6,387 guest teachers—mainly retired individuals—in government, aided, block grant high schools, and Sanskrit tols for the 2025–26 academic session. Petitioners argued that the move violates the Right to Education Act and NCTE regulations, while also depriving job opportunities to qualified, unemployed youth.
The High Court has directed the School & Mass Education Department and the Higher Education Department to submit data on the number of vacant teaching posts in the state and the measures taken to fill them. The state government has been asked to file its response through an affidavit.
The next hearing is scheduled for October 8, 2025. Advocate Samir Kumar Das is representing the petitioners.
