Delhi govt schools shut for summer, city guest teachers left without work

The government has also suspended online and semi-online activities for students up to Class 9 till the last day of summer break on June 9. This leaves guest teaches with no work, and there is little chance of them getting any during the summer break.

The Delhi government has discontinued the services of nearly 20,000 guest teachers in its schools, according to an order by the Directorate of Education (DoE).

Representational: The Delhi government has advanced summer vacations this year by 15 days in view of Covid-19 cases and fatalities spiralling out of control. (HT Archive)

The Delhi government has advanced summer vacations this year by 15 days in view of Covid-19 cases and fatalities spiralling out of control. The government has also suspended online and semi-online activities for students up to Class 9 till the last day of summer break on June 9.

This leaves guest teaches with no work, and there is little chance of them getting any during the summer break.

In a circular, issued on Monday, DoE said, “All the heads of schools are hereby directed to discontinue the services of all the guest teachers engaged in their school w.e.f. 20.04.2021...all the guest teachers shall be paid up to April 19, 2021, and in summer vacations only if they are called for the duties.”

Shoeb Rana, secretary of All India Guest Teachers’ Association, said around 20,000 guest teachers engaged in 1,030 Delhi government schools are paid on a daily basis. “In normal circumstances, Delhi government schools organised summer camps for students where the majority of the guest teachers were deployed. However, since last year, there have been no summer camps due to Covid-19. The guest teachers survived without any income for over three months last year. The situation is the same this year,” he said. “The government should have planned something for us as well, taking a cue from last year. Where do we go now?”

HT reported last May that several guest teachers resorted to alternative livelihoods, including selling vegetables, repairing bicycles, and working in fields, after schools remained closed amid the pandemic.

Wazir Singh, 34, an English teacher, who sold vegetables last year to make ends meet for around four months, said, “My school used to call me for Mission Buniyaad classes and entrepreneurship classes during the 201 summer break. Things have completely changed. There is a lockdown in the city, otherwise I would have found some home tuitions. What will I do for the next 2-3 months?”

A senior official of the Delhi government’s education department said the government has authorised schools to call guest teachers as per requirement during the summer break. “Every year, the guest teachers are paid on a need basis during summer break. They may be called for admission and examination related work. But the government cannot guarantee it. Under the prevailing situation it is difficult to accommodate so many teachers,” the official said.

Several principals said they will not need guest teachers during the summer break this year due to Covid curbs.