Bhubaneswar: The state government will engage guest teachers in high schools in Odisha to deal with the shortage of regular teachers.

The state government will engage as many as 4,580 retired secondary teachers as guest teachers in government, fully-aided and block grant high schools and Sanskrit TOL schools in Odisha for the 2024-25 academic year.

The School and Mass Education (S&ME) department has approved a proposal in this regard recently.

The guest teachers will teach in the schools till March 2025 or joining of new teachers, whichever is earlier, said S&ME Department Additional Secretary Ashwini Kumar Mishra in a letter to the Director of Secondary Education in Odisha.

The District Education Officers (DEOs) have been told to ensure that the guest teachers are engaged within the vacancy reported by the Director of Secondary Education in the state.

The guest teachers will be engaged against the vacancies in high schools after the approval of the district Collectors, said the S&ME Department.

The officials have been asked to submit the reports regarding engagement of guest teachers to the Director of Secondary Education, it added.