MUMBAI, April 22 -- Lack of recruitment of physical education teachers in government-aided urban and rural schools in Maharashtra has prospective candidates threatening an agitation if the authorities fail to address the issue soon. Eligible candidates have announced an indefinite protest at Mumbai's Azad Maidan from April 27. Around 4,860 posts for sports teachers are currently vacant in the state, with the last round of recruitment being conducted in 2014. In January 2025, the state had issued a government resolution to fill these posts in state-run zilla parishad and government-aided schools. However, more than a year later, the recruitment process has not begun. Eligible candidates, many holding bachelor's and master's degrees in physical education (B Ped and M Ped) say they are running out of patience. Several schools in urban and rural areas function without full-time physical education teachers. Many rely on contractual staff, who are paid as little as Rs.150 per day, raising concerns about the quality of physical education being imparted. The Maharashtra Yuva Sharirik Shikshan Mahasangh (MYSSM), in a letter to school education minister Dada Bhuse, has announced an indefinite sit-in protest at Azad Maidan. The organisation said physical education contributes not only to students' physical fitness but also to their mental development and well-being. The foundation for Olympic athletes is laid at the school level through proper training in sports, it added. MYSSM secretary Tayappa Shendge said, "The protest will be peaceful and conducted through legal means, with participation expected from candidates across the state." A senior officer from the state school education department said there is no recruitment for physical education teachers underway at present. "Once we receive orders from higher authorities, we will submit a proposal for recruitment," he said....