Chandigarh, Nov. 6 -- A shortage of Trained Graduate Teachers (TGTs) is forcing government schools in Chandigarh's peripheral areas to combine sections, resulting in overcrowded classrooms and affecting students' ability to learn, even as hundreds of teaching posts have remained unfilled over the years.

At Government Model Senior Secondary School, Raipur Kalan, Class 7 sections were combined due to shortage of TGTs, with around 68 students now studying in a single classroom, according to a parent.

Raj Thakur, father of a student at the school, said the shortage directly affected classroom teaching. "Due to the shortage of TGT teachers, the Class 7 sections were combined and around 68 children are sitting and studying in one classroom. I...