U.P. Teaching Aspirants to Run Social Media Campaign for Recruitment

Teaching job aspirants in Uttar Pradesh are set to run a large-scale social media campaign on August 16 to press the State government to initiate a recruitment drive for primary school teachers. The campaign, planned across platforms such as X, will demand the immediate issuance of a recruitment notification and a time-bound schedule for completing the appointment process.

Aspirants allege that no major recruitment has been conducted for primary-level teaching posts in Uttar Pradesh for over five years, leaving lakhs of eligible candidates waiting for appointments. Vijay Pratap, an aspirant from Prayagraj, said, “There hasn’t been a major teacher recruitment drive in Uttar Pradesh for over five years at the primary level. Millions of candidates are constantly waiting for teacher recruitment. It has been reported several times that the government will conduct recruitment, but the notification has not been issued.”

The organisers said they are targeting 10 million posts on X on August 16. Several education-related social media platforms run by students and aspirants in the State have circulated the campaign announcement. “All friends should be ready and spread the information about this campaign to as many candidates as possible. Unity is our strength,” read a message that went viral on X.

The Prayagraj-based Sanyukt Pratiyogi Chhatra Hunkar Manch, an organisation of competitive examination aspirants, has also extended its support.

Adarsh Tiwari, a D.El.Ed degree holder and aspirant, said candidates have approached officials, including the Basic Education Minister and Deputy Chief Minister, but received no assurance on recruitment. “It has been over five years and no vacancy has come at the primary school level. People with D.El.Ed degrees are feeling helpless because of the neglect. Without appointments, what is the need for such degrees? Five years is a long time in one’s life and our prime young years are being wasted,” he said.

The Diploma in Elementary Education (D.El.Ed) is a two-year full-time teacher education programme for those seeking to teach Classes 1 to 8. Many aspirants have invested time and money into this qualification, hoping to secure a government teaching job.

The Congress has supported the proposed campaign and accused the BJP government of failing to provide employment opportunities to the State’s youth. “The anxiety of aspirants is leading to such online campaigns. We fully stand with the youth of Uttar Pradesh,” said Abhishek Dutt, national secretary of the Congress and zonal in-charge of the Purvanchal zone. He said the party would support the aspirants in their efforts to press the government for recruitment.

This is not the first time that teacher aspirants have resorted to online mobilisation. Similar campaigns have been held in the past to draw attention to delayed recruitment processes and vacancies in the education department. The impending campaign reflects the growing frustration among candidates who have been waiting for years.

The State government, which oversees education through the Basic Education Board, has not yet issued a statement regarding the proposed campaign. The recruitment of teachers in Uttar Pradesh has been a recurring issue, with opposition parties also raising the matter in the past. The outcome of this social media campaign may depend on the government's response to the demands.