Over 5,000 teacher posts vacant in Delhi govt schools:RTI reply

The education department clarified that the number of vacant posts did not mean that teachers were not available in schools as a large number of guest teachers have been posted to fill in for regular teachers

Delhi government schools continue to have a high number of vacant teaching posts, especially for the subjects of maths and science, information sourced through a Right to Information application has revealed. A senior education department government official, however, clarified that the number of vacant posts did not mean that teachers were not available in schools as the directorate of education (DoE) had posted a large number of guest teachers to fill in for regular teachers.

A senior government official in the DoE, who is familiar with the matter said, the high number of vacant posts did not mean that teachers were not available at schools. (Raj K Raj/HT Photo)

As per information furnished by the DoE, in response to an application filed by education activist Munazza, the maximum number of vacant posts (excluding guest teachers) are for maths and science.

As on December 27, 2022, the number of vacant posts for maths stood at 3,084 while that for science was 2,588, the DoE said. For English and Hindi, the number of vacant posts stood at 2,053 and 1,089, respectively.

“The RTI data shows that there are a large number of teaching posts still vacant. The said vacancies must be advertised by the DSSSB (Delhi Subordinate Services Selection Boar) as soon as possible and age relaxation must be given to all aspirants as was done by other states,” said Munazza, who filed the RTI.

The Delhi Subordinate Services Selection Board is responsible for recruiting teachers for Delhi government schools. As per the information furnished under the RTI, a requisition of 616 vacancies has been sent to DSSSB which are under consideration. The matter of sending more requisitions to DSSSB is also under process, DoE said in its response.

A senior government official in the DoE, who is familiar with the matter said, the high number of vacant posts did not mean that teachers were not available at schools. “The gap is filled by guest teachers. Around 16,000 guest teachers are posted in schools currently. We pst guest teachers to fulfil the requirement of regular teachers to the maximum extent possible,” said the official., asking not to be named.