Hamstrung by faculty famine, Govt finally hires 6,000 teachers
To overcome the problem of shortage of teachers in Government schools in the national Capital, Delhi Government has hired more than 6,000 guest teachers and 10,000 more are expected to join soon.
“Several initiatives are being taken to fill the gap of shortage of Government teachers in the Capital as the focus is to provide quality education in Government schools. The Directorate of Education (DoE) has inducted more than 6,000 guest teachers recently and 10,000 are going to join shortly,” said Padmini Singla, Director, Education. Under the
Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), 1981 TGTs (Trained Graduate Teachers) and 284 assistant teachers were hired in July this year. “The Directorate (of Education) is in regular touch with Delhi Subordinate Services Selection Board (DSSSB) and it is likely to fill up the rest of the vacancies in the current academic year,” said Singla.
To motivate Government teachers, who are often criticised for their lackadaisical approach, the Director said she has started to communicate directly with principals and teachers of schools by writing letters addressed to them and encouraging them to revert.
Also, the Education Department is going to organise an open house debate at Thyagraj Stadium this month where select principals will share their successful best practices with all the 1,007 heads of Government schools in order to explore the possibilities of replicating them.
About the quality of education being imparted to students in Government schools, Singla said, “Government school teachers are still the best among the lot and it is proven if class results are any indication.”
However, due to ‘No Detention Policy’ up to Class VIII, some children tend to take studies lightly and when they reach Class IX, they need extra support to avoid buckling under the pressure of academics, she said, adding, the Directorate of Education has started remedial classes for students from Class IX onwards.