Odisha to appoint 6,387 retired teachers as guest teachers in high schools, Sanskrit TOLs

In a major move to address the teacher shortage in secondary schools, the Odisha government has approved the appointment of 6,387 retired teachers as guest teachers across government, fully aided, block grant high schools, and Sanskrit TOLs for the academic year 2025–26.

The School and Mass Education (SME) Department conveyed this move as an official sanction to the Director of Secondary Education for the continuation of the Guest Teacher Scheme. The appointments will be valid till March 2026 or until new teachers join.

An official notification stated that District Education Officers (DEOs) have been directed to ensure that guest teachers are engaged strictly within the vacancy figures approved by the Directorate. Further, engagements will be prioritised based on the extent of vacancy and will only proceed following approval from the respective district Collectors.

Eligible Institutions and Conditions

The guest teachers will be deployed in Aided High Schools, Block Grant High Schools, and Sanskrit Traditional Oriental Learning (TOLs). For Sanskrit institutions, only retired IACT (Intermediate of Arts in Classical Teaching) and Matric-CT trained teachers are eligible for re-engagement.

Each appointment is temporary and subject to discontinuation once permanent Trained Graduate Teachers (TGTs) join.

However, guest teachers removed from one school may be re-engaged at another school with unfilled positions, provided it aligns with district-level vacancy reports.

Deployment Will Follow Existing Guidelines

The engagement process will adhere to the departmental resolutions issued on 17 August 2016, 25 July 2018, and 14 December 2018. DEOs have also been instructed to report the final engagement status of guest teachers to the Directorate of Secondary Education.

Until fresh appointments are completed, retired educators will continue to support classroom instruction in core subjects.