India, Feb. 7 -- The number stared back from the notice board like a cruel typo. Out of nearly 5,100 candidates, only thirty-nine cleared the written examination for Post Graduate Teacher (Computer Science)conducted by the Haryana Public Service Commission (HPSC).

Behind that number lay a deeper wound: 1,672 posts out of 1,711 advertised vacancies remained unfilled.

Candidates counted again, just to be sure. They had done that a lot lately-counting marks, attempts, and years. Like every other applicant, they were HTET-qualified, officially deemed eligible to teach. On paper, they belonged to a state that proudly produces UPSC toppers, NET qualifiers, and researchers working in IITs and central universities.

Yet here, in Haryana's own r...