59-Year-Old Man Finally Becomes a Government Teacher After 27 Years of Trying

Baghpat, Uttar Pradesh, India — September 29, 2026

After nearly three decades of trying, a 59-year-old teacher in northern India has finally achieved his long-held dream of securing a government teaching job.

Vijay Kumar Sharma, from Baghpat district in Uttar Pradesh, has been appointed as a Sanskrit teacher at Ailum Inter College, a government-aided school in neighboring Shamli district.

Twenty-Seven Years of Trying

Sharma began applying for government teaching positions in 1999. Over the years, he cleared the written Trained Graduate Teacher examination six times and the Post Graduate Teacher examination four times, but repeatedly failed to make the final selection after interviews.

Despite the setbacks, he continued working as a private-school teacher while preparing for recruitment examinations. He spent nearly 26 years teaching Hindi and Sanskrit while continuing to pursue his goal.

A Dream That Never Disappeared

Sharma said becoming a government teacher had always been his dream. Even when family members encouraged him to stop taking examinations, he continued studying and applying.

His daughter, Mamta Sharma, who also took the latest recruitment examination, said watching her father continue preparing throughout the years had been a major inspiration for her.

Finally Selected at 59

Sharma was finally selected in the latest recruitment process. The selection procedure did not include the interview stage that had prevented him from reaching the final list several times in the past.

He is expected to have a little more than two years in the position before reaching the applicable retirement age. For Sharma, however, the length of the remaining career is less important than finally reaching a goal he had pursued for most of his adult life.

He is now preparing to begin teaching Sanskrit to students up to Class 10.

Sources

• Indian Express — ‘Failed 26 times, never lost hope’: UP man finally lands government teacher job at 59 — September 27, 2026.
• India Today — 27 years of perseverance pay off as UP man gets govt teacher job at 59 — September 26, 2026.
• Times of India — He cleared TGT exam 6 times and PGT 4 times; at 59, Vijay Kumar Sharma finally became a government teacher — September 27, 2026.