Nine months and still waiting

More than ten thousand selected teacher candidates in Madhya Pradesh have run out of patience. It has been roughly nine months since the merit list for secondary and primary school teachers was released. But appointment letters? Still not issued.

On Wednesday, a substantial crowd of these aspirants gathered outside the Directorate of Public Instruction (DPI) in Bhopal. Under a harsh summer sun, they staged a sit-in demonstration, demanding that the recruitment process be completed without further delays. Officials from the directorate watched from behind barricades as the protest swelled through the afternoon.

Selection list out, no joining in sight

The recruitment process began back in 2022. Eligibility tests were held in 2023, followed by the selection examination in April 2025. After a drawn-out procedure, the results were declared in September 2025, and the final selection list was published. That was nearly three fiscal quarters ago.

According to the candidates, the examination conduct rulebook – specifically section 3.28 – makes it mandatory to issue appointment orders within three months of releasing the selection list. That deadline passed long ago. “We have crossed eight, almost nine months now,” said a candidate from Vidisha, declining to be named. “There is no court stay. No legal hurdle. So why are we still waiting?”

‘Broken promises and endless assurances’

This isn’t the first time these candidates have taken to the streets. Between November 2025 and April 2026, aspirants made multiple trips to Bhopal, meeting departmental officers. Each time, they were sent back with verbal assurances. In March, officials reportedly said choice filing would begin soon. Then came word that joining might start in April. Neither happened.

The candidates’ core demand is simple: release the eligibility lists, complete the choice filing process, and issue appointment orders. “We are not asking for anything extra. Just what is already written in the rulebook,” said Dheerendra Chaurasia, one of the aspirants who has been following the matter closely.

Over 10,700 lives caught in limbo

The numbers tell a grim story. Nearly 10,700 selected candidates are directly affected. Many belong to farming families. Some run small tuition centres to make ends meet. A few have been surviving on odd jobs while waiting for this government job to materialise.

The new academic session began in April 2026 – but these teachers aren’t inside classrooms. Candidates point out that reports have repeatedly highlighted a severe shortage of teachers across the state. According to recent official data, nearly 1,895 schools in Madhya Pradesh do not have a single teacher on staff. Another 29,116 schools face a cumulative shortage of approximately 99,682 teachers. Rural areas are the worst hit, with only about 70 per cent of sanctioned posts filled.

“If schools are running without teachers, why delay our appointments?” asked Vivek Tiwari from Chhatarpur. His voice carried the weight of years. He said many selected candidates are now past 40 years of age. Personal lives are on hold – marriages, family planning, all deferred. “Some parents passed away waiting for their children to get this job. That is not an exaggeration. That is what has happened.”

What next? Agitation to escalate

Sources familiar with the matter said the DPI has acknowledged receipt of the memorandum submitted by the protesting group. However, no official statement or timeline has been issued yet.

Dinesh Thakur from Indore said all formalities – document verification, eligibility checks – are complete for most candidates. “The portal shows no update. We were told March, then April. Now April is also over. What do we tell our families?”

The candidates have made their position clear. If appointment orders are not issued within a reasonable timeframe now, they will scale up the agitation. “We have waited nine months. We cannot wait nine more,” said another protester as the evening crowd began to disperse. Bhopal’s police presence remained light, and no untoward incident was reported. But the simmering anger among these ten thousand aspirants is unlikely to fade unless the education department acts – and fast.

12 Teacher Unions Form Joint Front Against MP's Mandatory TET Order

Over 1.5 lakh teachers face uncertainty as 12 unions announce phased protests from April 8–18, culminating in a 'Chief Minister Request March' in Bhopal

Unified Front Takes Shape

Twelve of Madhya Pradesh's major teacher organisations have come together to form the Adhyapak-Shikshak Sanyukt Morcha, a unified front against the state government's order mandating the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) for in-service educators. The coalition, formed after a joint meeting in Bhopal, marks a shift in strategy — from fragmented individual protests to a single coordinated agitation. According to sources close to the Morcha, the decision reflects deepening frustration over what leaders describe as a policy that puts job security at risk for hundreds of thousands of teachers.

A Phased Protest Plan

The joint front has announced a structured 10-day agitation beginning April 8 and building toward a decisive demonstration on April 18. The roadmap is as follows: district-level demonstrations on April 8 will be followed by block-level sit-ins on April 11, where teachers plan to approach local elected representatives. The campaign will culminate on April 18, when teachers from across the state are expected to gather in Bhopal for the Mukhyamantri Anurodh Yatra — a procession appealing directly to Chief Minister Mohan Yadav to intervene. Morcha member Upendra Kaushal confirmed that the phased approach is designed to build sustained public and political pressure, India News Update reports.

The Grievance: Retroactive Rules

At the heart of the TET controversy is a policy question with significant legal dimensions. Shaskiya Shikshak Sangathan president Rakesh Dubey stated that thousands of teachers were appointed between 1995 and 2011 under the rules that were in force at the time. Holding those teachers to a qualification standard introduced decades later, he argued, amounts to retrospective regulation — legally questionable and administratively unjust. "You cannot change the conditions of service mid-career without consequence," Dubey told the gathering, as per reports.

DPI Order Sparks Confusion

A key trigger for the current agitation is an order from the Directorate of Public Instruction (DPI) that teacher unions say lacks critical clarity. The order does not specify which categories of teachers must appear for TET and which are exempted, according to officials within the union body. This ambiguity has left approximately 1.5 lakh serving teachers in a state of anxiety over their employment status, with many unsure whether their positions are at risk. The Morcha has demanded the order be withdrawn immediately pending a comprehensive review.

Review Petition Demand

A central demand of the united front is that the Madhya Pradesh government file a review petition before the Supreme Court challenging the apex court's ruling that forms the basis of the TET mandate. Union leaders pointed out that several other states have already moved such petitions, while MP has yet to take any formal legal step. The delay, they say, puts the state's teachers at a disadvantage compared to counterparts elsewhere in the country.

Seniority Rules Also on the Agenda

The TET question is not the only issue animating the Morcha. Azad Adhyapak Sangh state president Shilpi Shivhan told the gathering that seniority calculation based on appointment dates has been a long-pending dispute. She confirmed that the unresolved seniority issue will form part of the agitation's agenda as well, making the movement broader than a single-issue campaign.

What Comes Next

As of now, the state government has not issued a formal response to the Morcha's demands or the announcement of the April 8–18 protest schedule. If authorities do not act before then, teachers are expected to proceed as planned — with district-level protests setting the tone for a statewide convergence in Bhopal on April 18. The government's next move on the DPI order and the question of a Supreme Court review petition will likely determine whether the stand-off escalates. For over 1.5 lakh educators across Madhya Pradesh, the TET controversy is no longer a distant policy debate — it is a question of livelihood and professional future.