As India expands access to education and notches up over 90 per cent enrolment in elementary schools with the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan and mid-day meal schemes, the need for qualified teachers has grown correspondingly and the manpower crunch is being felt like never before. So acute is the problem that the Human Resource Development Ministry has devised a first-of-its-kind national mission solely dedicated to teachers and teaching. It seeks to attract teachers in all possible ways: on contract or as adjunct faculty, part-time teachers, visiting faculty, or assistant teachers.