Kerala is having fewer children. This is bad news for teachers

In Kerala, the number of children being born is decreasing, and this troubling trend is impacting the education system. The state's birth rate has been on a downward trajectory for years, falling from 17.67 in 1992 to just 13.79 in 2020. With fewer children enrolled in schools, there are fewer opportunities for teachers to be hired.

This has led to a situation where only a few of the 6,114 candidates who made the rank list for lower primary teacher positions in government schools actually received jobs. As a result, 239 of these candidates have been appointed so far, and the current ranklist expires in May 2028, leaving many frustrated and agitating for their due.

The government's Public Service Commission recruited these candidates, but the demand for teachers has not kept pace with the declining enrollment. There are concerns that changing the teacher-student ratio in lower primary schools may have significant financial implications for the government, and it could trigger similar demands in higher grades.