Mysuru: Mysuru district’s govt schools are facing challenges in sports and physical education due to 79 vacant physical education (PE) teacher posts, with no recruitment for nearly two decades, officials reported. In the absence of dedicated PE teachers, the department of school education and literacy has been training interested teachers to take on additional roles as PE instructors.This arrangement has compromised the quality and consistency of physical education, depriving students of structured training and regular sports activities, say parents. Students are missing opportunities to engage in outdoor games like volleyball, kho kho, and basketball, as well as compete at the taluk, district, and national levels during events such as Dasara and other special athletic meets, they say. As per education department sources, Mysuru district has 2,091 state-run schools — including 1,861 primary schools and 235 high schools — and an enrolment of over 1.6 lakh for classes 1 to 10 in the 2025–26 academic year. Of the 435 PE teacher posts sanctioned for these schools, only 358 are filled, leaving 79 vacancies — 37 in primary and 42 in high schools.The lack of recruitment has contributed to a decline in school-based physical activity, while excessive screen time further affects students’ health and concentration, noted a parent Mahadevu, from T Narasipura taluk.JH Ravi, district unit president of the State Govt Schools Grade I Physical Education Teachers Association, emphasised that existing PE teachers are under pressure due to the delay in recruitment. Deputy director of school education Udaykumar confirmed that the department is managing physical education with available teachers due to the recruitment backlog.
