Delhi government is reluctant to fill vacant posts in public schools

There are 27,142 vacancies in Delhi government schools, and 6,639 vacancies in MCD schools.

Despite half of the total teaching posts amounting to over 33,000 lying vacant in the Delhi government and Municipal Corporation of Delhi schools, the Director of Education has forwarded the requisitions for only 8,298 posts in Delhi government schools, and 5,826 for MCD schools, after the High Court directed the authorities to take “immediate measures” to fill all the vacancies. The figures are according to an affidavit filed in the Delhi High Court by the Delhi Subordinate Services Selection Board (DSSSB), a government board that conducts written exams and personal interviews for the post of teachers in government schools in the city.

The affidavit was in response to the High Court order of 11 April in which Justice Manmohan had asked the Aam Aadmi Party-led government and the three MCDs to take to immediately fill in the vacant posts. On 27 April, a meeting headed by the director of DSSSB was attended by the commissioner of three municipal corporations, the Director of Education of Delhi government, and the controller of exams from DSSSB, following which a court hearing was held on 16 May in which the requisitions for the posts were presented.

Presently, there are 27,142 vacancies in Delhi government schools, and 6,639 vacancies in the three municipal corporation schools, with the distribution as follows: 2,110 in East Delhi Municipal Corporation, 2862 in North Delhi Municipal Corporation, and 1,667 in South Delhi Municipal Corporation schools. This information was shared with The Sunday Guardian by Supreme Court advocate and social worker Ashok Aggarwal. The directions from the Supreme Court had come following the contempt plea of an NGO, Social Jurist, for which Aggarwal works. The NGO had alleged “deliberate and intentional disobedience” by the Delhi Government on ensuring zero vacancy at the start of every academic year in all schools across Delhi. It had sought immediate filling of the vacancies.

The extremely low number of requisitions sent by the Director of Education, in contrast to the number of vacancies available is because the government employs teachers on a temporary or contractual basis in over 17,000 posts and doesn’t deem it necessary to employ more permanent teachers, or to even regularise the temporary ones, Aggarwal told The Sunday Guardian.

“This is sheer dishonesty on the part of the Delhi government as it is concealing the actual number of vacancies,” Aggarwal said.

The Director of Education and the controllers of exams from DSSSB, despite repeated attempts, were not available for comment. In the affidavit filed by the Delhi government in December 2016, it had considered only 7,646 posts vacant in Delhi government schools (excluding MCD schools). The rest, it said, were filled up by guest and contract teachers.

Extremely low number of requisitions sent by the Director of Education, is in contrast to the number of vacancies available.