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Bhupendra Singh, antecedently the sole superior teacher for 42 students successful Nasrullaganj, Sehore district, 90 km from his home, is present posted astatine a CM Rise schoolhouse successful Bilkisganj, Sehore. In speech with The Hindu, helium said helium took the CM Rise exam hoping for a posting person to home. “I was incapable to springiness clip to my children and their studies….I knew I would get a accidental to take a posting adjacent my house.”
As Madhya Pradesh expands its CM Rise Schools project, existing authorities teachers are required to wide a competitory enactment process to unafraid postings successful these institutions. Conducted by the Directorate of Public Instruction (DPI) and, successful immoderate cases, the Madhya Pradesh State Open School Education Board, the process includes a written examination, interviews and an appraisal of past performance.
Since 2021, the exams person been held annually, with results published connected authoritative portals similar vimarsh.mp.gov.in and mpsos.nic.in. Selected teachers person specialised grooming and indispensable adhere to work conditions that restrict transfers from CM Rise schools. Mr. Singh added that the minimum eligibility is Higher Secondary qualification for the superior level, and TET qualification on with a D.Ed. grade for the secondary level.
Mr. Singh, who holds a Master’s grade successful Science, appeared for the CM Rise superior enactment trial successful 2021. He said the district-level exam is conducted separately for superior and secondary teachers, with candidates choosing their respective subjects. He opted for Mathematics. The 80-mark insubstantial included 60 subject-specific questions and 20 wide components. As the syllabus intimately matched what helium teaches daily, helium did not necessitate extended preparation.
Selected primary-level teachers tin take areas of postings wrong their territory and secondary-level teachers person choices betwixt different districts. As a superior teacher, helium opted for Bilkisganj, saying it’s person his residence.
After clearing the CM Rise entranceway test, teachers are present allotted schools based connected a 1:30 pupil-teacher ratio alternatively of the earlier fixed seven-teacher signifier successful superior schools. At the secondary level, lone 3 teachers (Sanskrit, English, and Maths) grip each subjects, with the remainder covered by impermanent faculty. “I deliberation it was owed to shortage of teachers…we had 120 teachers earlier, 2 were shifted to different CM Rise schoolhouse to equilibrium the ratio,” helium said.
He besides noted that teachers recruited done the regular assignment process are present being fixed precedence postings successful CM Rise schools implicit non-CM Rise authorities schools.
Restructuring State’s nationalist acquisition system
The enactment process is portion of a wider restructuring of the State’s nationalist acquisition system. According to Unified District Information System for Education data, astir 30,000 authorities schools person closed implicit the past 5 years nether consolidation efforts. In their place, the State plans to found astir 369 CM Rise Schools arsenic centralised, better-equipped campuses with upgraded infrastructure and staffing.
In April 2025, the Government of Madhya Pradesh announced that each CM Rise Schools would beryllium renamed Sandipani Vidyalayas, invoking the past sage Sandipani, believed to person been the guru of Lord Krishna and Balarama.
Criticism
However, the closure and merger of schools into CM Rise institutions person drawn disapproval from pupil federations, teachers’ unions, NGOs, and absorption parties crossed Madhya Pradesh. Critics reason that shutting low-enrolment schools without addressing transport and socio-economic barriers could worsen dropout rates, peculiarly among agrarian and marginalised communities.
For teachers similar Mr. Singh, clearing the entranceway trial has brought nonrecreational validation and entree to better-equipped classrooms, portion for others, particularly those from closed schools, the modulation has created uncertainty.
While seeking responses for the story, The Hindu contacted Saneetha Thakur, Assistant Director, Directorate of Public Instruction (DPI), School Education Department. She said, “I americium not the acrophobic person,” and redirected them to Atul Danayak, Joint Director of the CM Rise Cell, Directorate of Public Instruction, Madhya Pradesh, who besides stated, “I americium not the acrophobic person.”
What happens to the teachers that don’t wide it
While the argumentation frames this arsenic merit-based deployment, teachers who bash not suffice look indirect consequences specified arsenic transfers to distant locations, disruption owed to schoolhouse closures, oregon being placed successful schools with less resources.
Jaiti Kushwaha, a superior authorities schoolhouse teacher, cleared the entranceway trial but did not person a CM Rise posting arsenic seats were full. She remained astatine her existent school, Government Higher Secondary School, Obedullaganj, which has 36 students and 4 superior teachers, including herself.
Ms. Jaiti said higher-scoring candidates were fixed priority, leaving her disappointed. Her contiguous schoolhouse is 38 km from her residence, requiring astir 1 hr and 20 minutes of question each way. The commute consumes overmuch of her day, alongside teaching and non-teaching duties, leaving her small clip for family. She had hoped that enactment into CM Rise would let her to take a posting person to home.
Several of her colleagues cleared the trial and moved to CM Rise schools. “When I conscionable them during grooming oregon authoritative meetings, I consciousness a difference. I commencement wondering if I americium little capable, adjacent though we clasp the aforesaid degrees and were appointed successful the aforesaid cadre. It affects my assurance and leaves maine with small hope,” she said.
She said that introspection results bash not afloat bespeak schoolroom ability. “Teaching is not lone astir penning a test. We person worked for years successful hard agrarian conditions, handled multi-grade classrooms, and managed with constricted resources,” she said.
Although she plans to look for the trial again, she believes her chances are present little than successful 2021, arsenic regular recruitment is besides placing teachers straight into CM Rise schools. With status approaching successful six years, she feels clip is limited.
(Mantasha Ahmed is an autarkic writer based successful Indore with 5 years of experience. She reports connected the captious intersections of education, civilian rights, societal issues, and culture.)
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