Teachers deployed in courts despite staff crunch at govt schools

At a time when Delhi government schools are dependent on contractual teachers to manage teaching staff shortage, as many as 47 permanent teachers have been assigned court-related work for many years. They include 25 principals, 2 PGTs and 2 TGTs who are not engaged in any type of teaching work.

“The post of principal is vacant in 80 per cent Delhi government schools, senior teachers have been temporarily assigned the responsibility,” said Ashok Agarwal, national convenor, All-India Parents Association AIPA. 

According to the Directorate of Education, Delhi government, around 7,463 posts of Post Graduate Teachers (PGT) and 13,623 posts of TGT are vacant in government-run schools. 

“Due to non recruitment of teachers, the education of 15,40,691 students studying in 1,011 schools is badly affected. Needless to say that all students attending government schools mostly come from poor families and these schools are the only hope for them,” he added. 

Agarwal emphasised that around 8-10 lakh schoolchildren, including the disabiled kids, are out of school in Delhi due to lack of teachers in schools. Agarwal has also apprised Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, urging him to look into the matter and ensure that teaching staff, deployed anywhere other than schools, are posted back to their respective institutes immediately.

According to the Directorate of Education, the 47 senior teaching staff have been deployed in court work for cases pending in CAT, Delhi high court and Supreme Court for several years and have not been attending school at all.

Of them, 22 teachers are law graduates and were deployed in court-related works three years ago, reportedly with a promise of being promoted to the rank of law officers. 

“We are expected to discharge the work of a law officers but treated as outsiders by law officers. Many teachers want to return to the teaching profession, but are not relieved,” said a teacher at DOE. 

The teachers shared that some of their colleagues were deployed in Delhi Legislative Assembly and RTI section of the DOE. “The 25 Principals who are deployed to look after the court work for the last 15-16 years have been re-designated as Deputy Education Officer (DEO), the posts that do not exist in DOE,” informed Agarwal.

In a recent RTI querry, the DOE had informed that out of 900 clerk grade posts 700 were vacant. 

In most of the schools the clerical and administrative works are performed by teachers and they are also deputed in zones, district offices and head quarters to handle the administrative works. 

The issue of contractual teachers is also haunting the government as over 17,000 contractual teachers are demanding regularization.