BHOPAL: Madhya Pradesh School Education Minister Uday Pratap Singh admitted at a public function that he knew at least 500 teachers who don't report to work at schools and have hired substitutes to teach students.

After a video of Singh's candid admission at an event in Raisen on Wednesday to mark the birth centenary of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee went viral, the opposition Congress hit out claiming it showed the state of affairs in MP's education sector.

"I personally know 500 teachers who don't go to schools and have hired persons (as substitutes). Some 100 are in my district. These are challenges of society that we will have to ponder about," Singh can be heard saying in the video being widely circulated on social media.

MP Congress president Jitu Patwari, in an X post in Hindi in which he tagged Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, said, "It is such a shame that your minister knows there are no teachers in schools. However, instead of taking action, he is glorifying it from the dais."

Minister Singh could not be contacted despite repeated attempts.