Artists Demand Fair Allocation for Art and Craft Teachers in AP’s Latest Teacher Recruitment Notification

The artist community is voicing strong discontent with the NDA government’s recent GO No. 27, which issued a notification for 16,347 teacher positions through the district selection committee (DSC). This recruitment covers several roles, including 6,371 secondary grade teachers (SGT), 132 physical education teachers (PET), 7,725 school assistants, 1,781 trained graduate teachers (TGT), 286 postgraduate teachers (PGT), and 52 principals. However, there has been no clear allocation for art and craft teachers, sparking outrage among Fine Arts graduates and artists across Andhra Pradesh.

D. Simhachalam, head of the Fine Arts Department at Andhra University, highlighted the importance of these positions for artists who lack the financial resources to sustain careers through exhibitions or private collaborations. “Most artists with limited resources often seek positions as art and craft teachers in schools. Securing such positions would not only offer financial stability but also enable them to grow in their field. In this context, if the government specifies how many posts are available for art and craft teachers in the DSC, it would provide a minimum job guarantee for art graduates,” he stated.

The artist community met with IT and Education Minister Nara Lokesh to convey their concerns, stressing that the absence of specific allocations for art and craft teaching roles undermines the importance of art education. They argued that Fine Arts graduates, often limited in job prospects, rely heavily on teaching positions for stable employment. S. Ajay, the coordinator of the Progressive Artists League, remarked, “Governments are increasingly neglecting their responsibility to employ students and youth, driving them to despair. They must take responsibility for offering gainful employment matching individual educational qualifications, including those of fine arts graduates.”

The artists also noted that other states, such as Telangana, have actively recruited art and craft teachers to support art education. P. V. Hanumant, a local artist, pointed out, “Our neighboring state, Telangana, recently recruited 300 art and craft teachers. We urge the government of AP to be just and fair to us.”

As the artist community awaits a response from the government, their demands underscore the need for a robust and inclusive approach to education recruitment that values art education and provides meaningful employment for Fine Arts graduates.