Odisha junior teachers regularisation: revised order issued after High Court stay

The Odisha government, through its School and Mass Education Department, issued a revised notification for the regularisation of junior teachers (schematic) on October 1, 2026. This action follows an Orissa High Court stay on an earlier regularisation notification and subsequent protests by contractual junior teachers.

The revised order aims to address legal issues that led to the High Court’s intervention, benefiting over 13,000 junior teachers appointed during the 2023-24 period. This move is part of the state government’s efforts to regularise these teachers, a long-standing demand for job security and equal pay.

Background to the Regularisation Process

The process of regularising junior teachers has seen several developments over the past year. Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi had approved the regularisation of contractual Junior Teacher (Schematic) on March 20, 2026, with the announcement made on March 21, 2026. Later, the initial notification for regularisation was issued on April 2, 2026.

However, the Orissa High Court stayed this initial notification on April 14, 2026, just 12 days after its issuance, due to litigation challenging the regularisation. The High Court had also asked the state government to submit an affidavit regarding the regularisation on the same day. This legal challenge prompted the government to issue the revised notification on October 1, 2026, incorporating necessary changes to address the legal concerns.

Protests and Previous Court Interventions

The revised notification followed a protest by contractual junior teachers in Bhubaneswar last month, highlighting the ongoing discontent among teachers regarding their service conditions. The Odisha government had previously moved to abolish the contractual system in government jobs, but over 13,000 junior teachers continued to serve on a contractual basis for six years, leading to demands for full regularisation despite previous increases in monthly remuneration.

The High Court has been involved in earlier cases related to junior teacher recruitment and qualifications. An ACJ bench of the Orissa High Court reversed a single judge’s order on junior teacher qualification on March 3, 2025. Acting Chief Justice Arindam Sinha and Justice MS Sahoo had stated, “There is no rationale as to why persons who had done the course up to year 2014 should be deemed to be better qualified than persons who did the same course later on a longer duration and stand disqualified.” The High Court had also reserved its order on irregularities in junior teacher recruitment on January 31, 2024, and had put a hold on junior teacher recruitment from January 24, 2024, until January 30, 2024.

Terms of the Revised Regularisation Order

Under the revised notification, junior teachers (schematic) will be regularised as assistant teachers in pay level-V(A) of the elementary cadre. This regularisation is with immediate effect, provided they fulfill the prescribed conditions. Teachers will be entitled to regular pay and other admissible service benefits of assistant teachers from January 1, 2026, in accordance with applicable government rules and instructions.

The period of service from their joining date until December 2025 will be treated as service in a schematic or contractual capacity. This contractual service period will not entitle them to claim seniority in the regular cadre or any consequential service benefits for that specific period. The regularisation aims to address the long-standing concerns of these teachers and strengthen the education system in the state.

Timeline of Key Recruitment and Legal Events

The School and Mass Education department initiated the recruitment process for junior teachers by inviting applications for 18,000 posts on September 10, 2023. Then, a notification for the recruitment of approximately 20,000 junior teachers was issued on October 23, 2023. The Odisha School Education Programme Authority (OSEPA) then published a draft merit list of 18,805 candidates, with document verification scheduled for January 20 and 21, 2024.

Legal interventions began with the High Court placing a hold on junior teacher recruitment from January 24 to January 30, 2024, and reserving its order on irregularities in junior teacher recruitment on January 31, 2024. An ACJ bench of the Orissa High Court reversed a single judge’s order concerning junior teacher qualification on March 3, 2025. Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi approved the regularisation of contractual Junior Teacher (Schematic) on March 20, 2026, with the announcement made the following day. The initial notification for regularisation was issued on April 2, 2026, but was stayed by the Orissa High Court on April 14, 2026, which also requested an affidavit from the state government. A revised notification for regularisation of junior teachers (schematic) was subsequently issued by the School and Mass Education Department on October 1, 2026.

Written by Nishit Kumar

Nishit Kumar is a senior EdTech industry leader with over a decade of experience in building and scaling education platforms, shaping their product, content, and growth strategy. At FindMyCollege, Nishit oversees content and editorial strategy, guiding topic selection and content frameworks to ensure accuracy, relevance, and student-first value across the website.

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