A shortage of teachers for pre-primary classes has become a major challenge in Telangana government schools, affecting early childhood education across the state.

The Telangana government has introduced nearly 4,000 pre-primary classes to strengthen foundational learning. However, many schools are still waiting for dedicated staff, forcing existing primary school teachers to take additional classes.

In schools where Anganwadi centres are located on campus, Anganwadi teachers are temporarily managing pre-primary classes.

To support the newly launched 2,769 pre-primary classes, the School Education Department proposed recruiting 5,538 personnel—one instructor and one assistant for each class. District Collectors were instructed to complete the recruitment process before the reopening of schools.

However, the recruitment has been delayed due to the large number of applications and the time required for the selection process. Officials also noted that the absence of a fixed recruitment deadline has contributed to the delay.

Meanwhile, many government schools are already facing shortages of primary teachers because of vacancies and deputations. As a result, existing teachers are handling both primary and pre-primary classes.

Education Department officials said efforts are underway to complete the recruitment process as soon as possible and expressed confidence that dedicated staff will be appointed soon to ensure the smooth functioning of pre-primary classes.