Only 16 lecturers working in 10 govt DIET colleges across Telangana

Hyderabad: Government District Institutes of Education and Training (DIETs) in Telangana have become almost non-functional due to the severe shortage of teaching staff. For the past 15 years, the Education Department has failed to recruit permanent lecturers, showing what many call criminal negligence. As a result, D.Ed students are being forced to study without proper lecturers and in some colleges, even without principals.

Across 10 government DIET colleges, there are 286 sanctioned lecturer posts, but only 16 are filled. The remaining 270 positions are vacant. In a few colleges, the government has deployed guest lecturers or deputed school teachers to temporarily fill the gap.

Due to issues in the Unified Service Rules, the promotion process for around 70 posts in DIET and B.Ed colleges is pending, while 30% of lower-level posts are still unfilled. Despite the urgent need, the department has continued to delay appointments.

When the Central Government raised concerns about the large number of vacancies, the Telangana Public Service Commission (TGPSC) issued a Government Order (GO) on November 12, 2022, to fill 110 vacant lecturer posts. However, even after three years, no notification has been released.

Currently, there is not a single permanent lecturer in the Medchal (Hyderabad, Neredmet) and Warangal DIET colleges. The government has combined the Warangal DIET and B.Ed College and assigned the Adilabad DIET principal in-charge of both institutions. Of all 10 DIET colleges, only Nizamabad DIET has a permanent principal.

There are around 1,400 D.Ed seats in these colleges. Admissions for 2022–23 were 1,123, for 2023-24 were 750, and for 2024-25 only 946 students were enrolled, a sharp decline caused by the lack of staff and infrastructure.

The SCERT, which oversees these teacher education institutions, has 26 sanctioned posts for professors and lecturers, but only 8 are currently working.

In 2018-19, the Central Government approved new DIET colleges for Hyderabad, Ranga Reddy, Asifabad, and Bhupalpally districts. While the buildings have been completed, classes have not yet started because the government has not sanctioned staff posts.

As a result, hundreds of aspiring teachers are being denied proper training, exposing the Education Department’s continued neglect of the State’s teacher education system.