From the Bharatiya Janata Party to the Congress, political parties across states constantly promise employment to the youth in their election manifestos. However, scratch the surface and the reality is very different.

For the last nine years, about 500 highly-qualified young people in Maharashtra have been struggling to get jobs as teachers. They claim there are more than 43,000 vacant teacher posts in local body institutions and at primary and secondary colleges, according to an RTI filed by some of these youths. But the previous Congress and current BJP governments have done nothing to provide them with jobs. In fact, the recruitment of teachers hasn’t happened since 2010.

For the last 10 days, the youths have congregated in Pune, with some of them sitting on fasts unto death.

The RTI response stating the number of teacher vacancies.

One of them is 30-year-old Sandip Kamble. Despite clearing the Teachers Eligibility Test (TET) four times and clearing the newly-introduced Teachers Aptitude & Intelligence Test (TAIT), he currently works as a security guard in an ATM in Latur. He says: “I belong to a very small village named Billali in Nanded. My parents are landless labourers. Despite not having resources, they taught me. I completed my Diploma in Education in 2011 by taking a loan of ₹2 lakh. I cleared TET and TAIT to become a teacher but I am still jobless.”

Kamble says he still has to repay ₹50,000 of his loan. He’s currently doing a course in social works and human rights from the Indira Gandhi National Open University as he cannot afford to go to college, and works as a security guard at night. “I work eight hours a day and earn ₹4,400 a month of which more than half is spent on accommodation and mess. I am just surviving on ₹1,000 in a month.” He says he often doesn’t have money to fill up forms for competitive examinations.

Kamble has been fasting with some of the other protesters, surviving only on water. He was admitted to the state-run Sassoon General Hospital in Pune when his health worsened.

Aspiring teachers have come from across the state for the ongoing protest in Pune.

According to the Right to Education Act 2009, passing TET was made compulsory to become a teacher. The Maharashtra government introduced TET in 2013 and TAIT in 2017. Teachers who have cleared the exams then need to then register on the Pavitra portal of the state government for the recruitment process.

The last recruitment in Maharashtra took place in 2010 through the Common Entrance Test (CET). No recruitment has taken place since.

Prajakta Godse, 27, is a resident of Jeuri village in Solapur. She has a diploma, bachelor’s and master’s degree in education. Godse cleared the National Eligibility Test (NET, an eligibility test for university and college lectureship) as well as the state’s TET and TAIT. She’s still struggling to get a job.

Godse says: “I was a topper throughout and was also the topper of the TAIT exam in 2017. I am presently a teacher at a salary of ₹3,000 at a private school in Pune. It’s difficult to make ends meet with such a salary.” Godse says her parents supported her education, which she says is rare in India’s rural areas. “But despite getting all these degrees, they feel humiliated when neighbours in our village comment that I’ve not received a proper job. It also disheartens other parents in the village who now think twice before sending their girls to school, citing my example.”

Mallappa Koli, 29, of Kusur village in Solapur has a similar story. The son of landless labourers, his parents didn’t have enough money to support his education. Koli moved to Pune in 2011 to do his graduation, during which he worked as a night watchman for three years at Pune University, earning ₹5,000 a month. “Using this money, I got admission in Model College to do my Bachelor of Arts (English). I used to work as a watchman at night and during the day I would go to college. I’d sleep for only 3-4 days a day.”

Koli secured the second rank in his college during his final exams and also got admission at the prestigious ILS Law College. However, he couldn’t afford the admission fees of ₹7,000. He finally worked as a catering waiter and then did his MA in English in 2014, passing with flying colours. “I started working in a private company but I always wanted to be a teacher. I struggled so hard to educate myself. I left the private job and cleared TAIT.” Since then, he’s been struggling to find a job. Out of desperation, he works as a waiter at big functions where he’s paid ₹800 a day and attends political rallies where he gets ₹300 for two hours. “What else can we do? In order to survive, we have to do such odd jobs while struggling to become teachers.”

Similarly, Amol Khairnar, a resident of Vatar village in Nashik, completed his diploma and master’s in education and then went on to clear TET and TAIT. He says all the protestors have scored about 75 per cent in the eligibility test—the base criteria. “We all belong to marginal income families from villages and small towns, and didn’t have much to spend on education.”

Many of the protestors are from small towns and villages, and are struggling to make ends meet.

Khairnar is currently doing a double MA so he says his accommodation is thankfully taken care of. Like Koli, he also works as a waiter and attends political rallies in order to earn ₹300-500 for two hours’ attendance. “When I go to my village, people laugh at me, saying ‘he has done his master’s degree but is still jobless’. We’ve been waiting for so long. The government should at least tell us if they’re going to recruit us or not. Give us a final verdict instead of giving us false hope.”

According to 28-year-old Rahul Kharat from Indapur, the government told the aspiring teachers in February last year that recruitment would take place in one month. It didn’t happen. This is Kharat’s fourth hunger strike since 2017. “People have to understand that youngsters from small villages have limited opportunities and resources. With whatever resources I have, I completed my education and qualified for TET and TAIT.”

Kharat lives in Pune for six months and spends six months in his village. His family owns two acres of land which they farm, earning ₹50,000 a year. Of this, he takes ₹20,000 to survive in Pune. “In Pune, my roommate and I share a single tiffin between us to save money. There are times when we don’t even have ₹5 to afford tea. This whole situation depresses and frustrates me. But what can we do? Nobody is concerned about us.”

On February 12, Kharat and some other protestors met Vinod Tawde, the state education minister, and Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis. The interaction was disappointing. Kharat says: “The minister (Tawde) just said he’s looking into the matter, and that there are some technical issues. He gave us no assurances to give us the jobs which rightfully belong to us.” Parmeshwar Ingole, on one of the leaders of the protest, says: “Whether it’s the Congress or the BJP, it’s all the same when it comes to making false promises about providing employment to the youth in this country.”

According to an RTI filed by the protestors which was accessed by Newslaundry, there are 43,409 vacant posts for teachers in local body institutions and junior and secondary colleges. However, education minister Vinod Tawde said last year that 24,000 posts will be filled. When they met the protestors this week, Tawde and Fadnavis said the information in the RTI was “incorrect”, and that there were only 10,000-12,000 posts vacant.

Another page from the RTI filed by the protestors.

Another leader of the protests, Santosh Magar, says the government’s numbers keep changing. In the past, the government advertised 18,000 teacher vacancies. “Then at least they should fill those vacancies. We even told them that if it doesn’t happen, 10 lakh youths in Maharashtra will vote against them in the Lok Sabha elections.”

Newslaundry contacted education minister Vinod Tawde and his office said he would respond soon. The story will be updated with his response. Newslaundry spoke to the education commissioner of the state, Vishal Solanki, to ask him about the issue. He said: “The process for recruitment is going on in full swing. We hope to publish the advertisement at the earliest.”