MUMBAI, Jan. 24 -- The city's 50-year-old Art and Music Academy run by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is grappling with an acute shortage of teachers, disrupting art and music education for thousands of students in municipal schools across the city. Once a key platform for nurturing young creative talent, the academy is now operating with a fraction of its sanctioned staff strength, raising concerns about the future of structured arts education in BMC classrooms. Official records show that the academy has a sanctioned strength of around 460 posts for art and music teachers. However, only a small number of these positions are currently filled. Senior officials in the BMC education department said the shortage has steadily worsened over the years due to retirements and a prolonged pause in fresh recruitment. With the gap widening, the academy has urged the civic body to ease rules that it says are preventing appointments. In an internal communication to the education department, the academy sought relaxation of provisions under the Right to Education Act and a government resolution issued in June 2025. Under existing norms, part-time art and music teachers can be appointed only in schools that have at least 100 students in Classes 6 to 8. The academy argued that this criteria does not suit its functioning, as it traditionally appoints teachers centrally and deploys them across municipal schools. The academy was established in 1974 by former municipal commissioner late MV Desai with the aim of strengthening artistic development among municipal school students and creating a common platform for both students and teachers. Over the decades, it built a reputation for its strong grounding in classical music, drawing and other art forms. A senior education department officer said large-scale recruitment of music teachers last took place in 1974-75 and 1975-76, when 265 teachers were appointed. "All of them retired before 2014," the officer said. Another 109 music teachers were appointed later in 1994 and 2006, but only 63 of them are currently working in municipal schools. The shortage has stretched the existing staff far beyond manageable limits, officials said. "Earlier, one teacher was expected to handle up to five divisions in a day. Today, due to the shortage, one teacher is forced to take classes for nearly 18 divisions, which is practically impossible," the officer said. Internal documents also underline the academy's legacy, noting that eminent artistes such as Pandit Ram Deshpande and Pandit Tulsidas Borkar once taught music in municipal schools. The documents warn that the situation could worsen further in the coming months. Of the 63 music teachers currently working, 25 appointed in 1994 are due to retire between 2025 and 2026. This could reduce the number of music teachers to just 40 to 45 over the next two years. Academy advisor and noted classical singer Shruti Sadolikar said the National Education Policy clearly underscores the importance of art and music education in schools. "There is a clear requirement for teachers with special skills, but there is hesitation to appoint teachers in this academy," she said. She added that the BMC should treat the academy as a separate entity....