As many as 6,112 vacant posts of teachers have been filled by the Delhi Subordinate Services Selection Board (DSSSB) through regular recruitment in the last four months while another 2,200 will be appointed by March. In a statement issued by the Raj Niwas, all these vacant posts of teachers have been filled following the directions of the Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena.
Compared to September 16, 2022, when the LG first reviewed the status of vacancies in the Education Department, a staggering 6,112 vacant posts of teachers have been filled by the Delhi Subordinate Services Selection Board (DSSSB) through regular recruitment, the LG office said in a statement.
Another 2,200 vacancies of teachers in the government schools will be filled by March this year. The LG has chaired three meetings of officers and the DSSSB to ensure regular monitoring of the progress made, it said.
According to the data provided by the DSSSB, at a review meeting chaired by the LG, the total vacancies of teaching staff in Delhi Government schools that stood at a massive 24,003 on September 16, 2022, has come down to 17,891.
In the process, the number of guest teachers has proportionately come down by 3,094. As on September 16, 2022, the number of guest teachers stood at 19,880 while the same has been reduced to 16,786 as on January 31 this year.
During the review meeting, officials informed the LG that requisition for filling up 543 vacant posts of principals - 363 through direct recruitment and 180 through promotion – has been sent to the Union Public Service Commission and the interviews are likely to be completed by March 2023.
Similarly, requisition has been sent for filling up 131 posts of vice principals through direct recruitment to UPSC.
It may be noted that recruitment for the posts of Principals and vice principals in Delhi Government schools are made by UPSC while the recruitment of other teaching staff is made by the DSSSB on the basis of requisition sent by the Directorate of Education.
“The present grim state of affairs in the Delhi Government schools, with vacancies skyrocketing, resulted because of the fact that requisition for regular recruitment of teachers was not made during the last 7 years of the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP government. Instead, the government conveniently kept filling up these posts with guest teachers who are appointed without following any due recruitment process. Also, Guest Teachers cannot share any financial or other related responsibilities/charges. As the employment is not permanent, commitment levels also vary,” reads the statement.
This had led to an acute shortage of teaching staff in Delhi Government schools that were running with only 67 percent Regular Teachers. What is more worrisome, as many as 84 percent of these schools were running without principals, which is the main supervisory, administrative and financial authority in the school, it said.
Even in the Vice Principals' category, about 34 percent posts were lying vacant. As of now, 848 out of the 950 sanctioned posts of principals are lying vacant while 627 out of the 1,670 sanctioned posts of vice principals are yet to be filled.
“However, the LG, who has been stressing upon filling up the vacant posts through regular recruitment and ending adhocism in government departments, took a serious view of such huge vacancies in Delhi Government schools and held review meetings at regular intervals for filling up these posts with regular teachers,” the LG office added in the statement.