Kullu: The National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) has issued a notice to the Himachal Pradesh chief secretary , seeking an action-taken report on prolonged vacancies of mathematics and science teachers in govt schools in the tribal areas of Lahaul-Spiti .




Taking cognisance of a complaint filed by Sudershan Thakur, advocate and president of Gramin Yuva Sangathan (GYS), an NGO working for tribal rights, the NCST in its recent order directed the chief secretary to file the report within 15 days or the Commission may summon his personal appearance.




Thakur had alleged that several govt schools in the Udaipur sub-division had been functioning without regular science and mathematics teachers for years, adversely affecting the education of Scheduled Tribe students.




According to information obtained by the GYS under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, Lahaul and Udaipur sub-divisions had 13 vacant TGT (non-medical) posts against a sanctioned strength of 32 and 10 vacant TGT (medical) posts against a sanctioned strength of 25 in July 2026. In all, there are 23 vacancies in the two science streams.




The NGO had also submitted a representation to the chief secretary on July 25, flagging vacancies in 10 schools of the Udaipur sub-division. These included both TGT (medical) and TGT (non-medical) posts at Govt Senior Secondary Schools Salgran, Madgram, and Govt High School Bhujund, in addition to vacancies in science streams at govt schools in Tindi, Ghari, Chimret, Tingret, Karpat, Mooring and Thirot.




Thakur’s complaint, filed on Aug 20, also questioned the education department’s decision to readjust newly recruited teachers to other schools outside Lahaul-Spiti district after initially allotting them postings in the tribal areas.




According to the complaint, the state education department issued a series of orders in July 2026 modifying the initial postings of newly recruited TGT (medical) and TGT (non-medical) teachers. Thakur questioned the rationale behind these changes and sought scrutiny of the administrative decisions.




He said that GYS had first approached the state govt after obtaining information about vacant posts through an RTI application. “Despite submitting a representation to the chief secretary, which was forwarded to the education department, the vacancies continue in schools,” Thakur said.




In its complaint, the NGO also urged the NCST to recommend filling vacant posts within 10 days and to formulate a time-bound policy to ensure that teachers appointed in remote tribal areas are not prematurely transferred to comparatively accessible stations.




Invoking Articles 21A and 46 of the Constitution, which provide for the right to education and the promotion of the educational and economic interests of Scheduled Tribes, Thakur argued in the complaint that the teacher shortage adversely impacts students, particularly in remote areas such as the Miyar Valley and Tindi, where difficult geographical and climatic conditions restrict access to educational facilities.




The complainant added that the absence of science and mathematics teachers also disadvantages students in board examinations and competitive entrance tests.