Delhi Cabinet on Monday decided to raise the retirement age of teachers in the Capital from 62 to 65 years. The move will benefit over 1 lakh schoolteachers of Government and private-run schools. It is fulfilment of a long-pending demand by city teachers. Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit may announce this bonanza to schoolteachers on the occasion of Teachers’ Day on September 5.
Sources said that Delhi Cabinet has approved a proposal for extension of the maximum age of re-employment of teachers, vice principals and principals. After Cabinet approval, the proposal will be placed before the lieutenant Governor and Government of India for further approval. As per approval, extension of teachers will be linked to the vacant position and teachers may be re-employed only against vacant posts. Further if the department is able to fill up the vacant posts of teachers on a regular basis, the tenure of a re-employment teacher would be curtailed on the principle of ‘first in first out’. Further, the re-employed teachers will have to sign an annual contract with the department wherein the terms and conditions of their employment will be clearly stipulated. Besides, there should not be any vigilance enquiry pending against them before re-employment and the department will consider giving extension on basis of merit.
This surprise for teachers comes in election year, even though planning, services, law and finance department have reservations. Retirement age for teachers was revised from 60 to 62 years on September 4, 2006, in the National Capital to meet acute shortage. There are 1,154 Government schools, 220 aided schools and 1,500 public schools in Delhi.
“This would be uniformly applicable to all categories of teachers up to postgraduate level, headmasters, vice principals and principals in Government-run, aided and unaided, private schools. The decision would help the directorate meet the acute shortage. Benefit of re-employment up to 65 years will also be available to those already re-employed under the existing scheme,” said sources. “The proposal will benefit 1 lakh teachers, but it will have a larger impact, which means five lakh people will be benefitted,” said sources.
Officials of Directorate of Education Department said that the Delhi Subordinate Services Selection Board (DSSSB) had failed to take any initiative despite repeated reminders. “There is vacancy for 10,000 to 12,000 teaching staff and an equal number for non-teaching staff in schools. The education department needs at least 995 assistant teachers, 9,246 trained graduate teachers, 3,772 postgraduate teachers and 259 principals,” said the official.
The CAG had earlier pointed out a large-scale shortage of manpower and classrooms and delays in construction of school buildings. “While the number of students in Government schools increased from 11.87 lakh to 13.82 lakh, since 2007-08, there has been no revision of the sanctioned strength of staff,” the CAG had stated in a report in 2011.