Maharashtra Shikshan Sevak/Teacher Recruitment 2026 — 30,209 Posts | Lock Preferences by 11 August (Pavitra Portal)

The Government of Maharashtra, School Education Department, is filling 30,209 Shikshan Sevak/Teacher posts (Classes 1-12) across local self-government bodies and private-management schools through the Pavitra Portal, based on TAIT-2025 (Teacher Aptitude and Intelligence Test) scores. CORRECTION on deadline: per the official press note dated 6 August 2026 and confirmed by four independent, very recent sources, the preference-locking deadline is 11 August 2026 -- NOT 13 August as sometimes circulated. One source's own headline says '13 August' but its body text explicitly instructs candidates to lock preferences 'between 06/08/2026 and 11/08/2026' -- a clear headline-vs-content contradiction. Treat 11 August as the correct, well-corroborated deadline. The preference submission window opened on 6 August 2026. CORRECTION on portal: the Pavitra Portal's actual URL is edustaff.maharashtra.gov.in, not mahapariksha.gov.in as sometimes stated -- mahapariksha.gov.in is a different Maharashtra examination portal used for other purposes (such as TAIT itself), not this preference-locking process. Eligibility: candidates who appeared for TAIT-2025 (conducted between 27 May and 5 June 2025, per press coverage) and completed the mandatory self-certification process are eligible -- 1,70,108 candidates out of 2,11,308 who appeared have completed self-certification and are eligible to participate in this recruitment round. A valid teaching qualification (B.Ed/D.El.Ed/D.Ed) plus a valid TET or TAIT-2025 score is required. Age is 18-38 years, with 5 years relaxation for reserved categories -- calculated as on the TAIT-2025 registration closing date (14 May 2025), not the current date. Educational qualifications must have been acquired by 14 May 2025, and professional qualifications (B.Ed/D.El.Ed) by 25 September 2025. A Maharashtra Domicile Certificate is required, since this recruitment is state-specific. IMPORTANT STRUCTURAL DETAIL not in most casual coverage: selection is NOT uniform across all 30,209 posts. 19,881 posts (mostly government/local-body schools) will be filled WITHOUT interview -- a direct merit list based purely on TAIT score, in a 1:1 candidate-to-post ratio. The remaining 10,328 posts (mostly private-management schools) are WITH interview -- the portal recommends candidates in a 1:3 ratio (three candidates shortlisted per post) based on TAIT merit, and the final selection is made by the individual private management through interview. This recruitment fills 80% of sanctioned vacant posts, per government policy, after accounting for reservations and institutional requirements.