Delhi govt schools will hire retired teachers to deal with staff shortage

The teachers will be engaged with schools on short term basis till March 31, 2018. Delhi government is currently facing a shortfall of around 27,000 regular teachers, including direct hiring and promotional post

To deal with shortage of teachers in government schools, the department of education (DOE) has asked the schools to hire retired teachers.

A teacher (R) in a Delhi government school with a parent at a special meeting. (Sushil Kumar/HT PHOTO)

However, with only four months left for the current academic session to be over, many in the system feel that the move will not be of much help to the students.

“We will hire retired teachers on an hourly basis in our schools for academic activities. Teachers who have retired from our schools, aided schools, central government and local bodies’ schools are eligible to apply,” a DOE official said.

The teachers will be engaged with schools on a short term basis till March 31, 2018. The government is currently facing a shortfall of around 27,000 regular teachers, including direct hiring and promotional post.

While the government says that the step is being taken to ensure that there are enough teachers for the students, some school principals and teachers feel that the move offers too little and has come too late. They said the final exams will be conducted in March and only three months are left so new teachers will not be able to do much.

“Right now we are in thick soup. How will these teachers compensate for the time that has been lost,” said an English teacher of the same school, who did not wish to be named.

However, the government said it was the last measure they could have taken as the hiring for guest teachers was stayed by the high court in May. “We were ready and teachers would have been in school by June but the process was stayed by HC in May. We hoped it would be lifted but in the present circumstances we have no option but to take this measure,” said Atishi Marlena, advisor to the education minister.

She said the measure to hire resource PGTs and TGTs was approved last year as a measure for three months by the lieutenant governor.