While the Delhi-Government-run schools are facing a severe crunch of trained teachers, as many as 176 teaching staff, including principals, vice-principals, Post Graduate Teachers (PGTs)and Training Graduate Teachers (TGTs) have been handing legal matters in the city courts for the past several years.
25 principals deployed to handle court works for the past 15-odd years have reportedly been re-designated as the Deputy Education Officers. Currently, there are about 26,031 teaching related posts lying vacant in the Delhi Government and BJP-led MCD run-schools across the city. The said figure does not include 9,000 new posts which have recently been created by the Delhi Government.
It would be pertinent to mention that these teachers and principals were put on court duty by the Sheila Dikshit led Congress Government but the practice has been going on unchecked. Social Jurist an NGO through advocate Ashok Aggarwal has moved petition in Delhi High Court on this issue.
Top sources told The Pioneer that 13 principals/vice-principals have been deployed across the district courts as Officers on Special Duty (OSD) who are reportedly being assisted by 94 PGTs and TGTs. There are about 100-odd teaching staff handling works related to Vigilance, Modified Assured Career Programme, Personnel, Administration and Right to Information. As many as 29 PGTs and TGTs are working as legal Assistants are handling litigations in various courts in 29 Zone. Additionally, two Vice-principals are working in these 29 Zones as legal Assistants. “Does it make any sense to deploy teachers, principals or vice principals for legal works or handling matter the courtsIJ” said a senior official of Delhi Government.
Sources added that the administration may go in for fresh recruitments of teachers to replace the ones handling court matters to handle the severe crunch of teachers in Government schools. There is also a view in the Government that the teachers handling legal matters should be absorbed in the posts they had been handling for the past several years.
It is understood that at least two PGTs and 20 TGTs (all llBs) assigned court related works for the last three years have reportedly been assured that they would be re-designated as law Officers.
“After realising that they have been cheated, all the PGTs and TGTs now want to go back to their respective schools,” a senior officer said.
In a letter to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, the All India Parents' Association has claimed that posts of principals were lying vacant in 80 per cent of Delhi Government schools. “Additionally, 7,463 posts of PGT & 13,623 posts of TGTs are lying vacant in the Government schools. The shortage of teaching staff has affected the studies of 15,40691 students studying in 1,011 schools,” AIPA National Convener Ashok Agarwal said.
“We have requested the CM to intervene in the matter on an urgent basis to ensure that all the teaching staff is deployed back to their schools.”