NEW DELHI:: Nearly 4,000 Post Graduate Teacher (PGT) posts remain vacant in Delhi government schools, despite recent efforts to strengthen public education infrastructure through the introduction of 75 new CM Shri schools. According to data obtained through a Right to Information (RTI) query filed with the Directorate of Education, only 13,058 of the sanctioned 17,058 PGT positions are currently filled, leaving thousands of classrooms without specialized subject teachers.
The staffing gap raises questions about the impact of the government’s ongoing transfer and recruitment drive aimed at populating the CM Shri schools. Last week, the Directorate invited existing teachers to apply for internal transfers to these upgraded institutions via a dedicated online interface.
However, educators on the ground remain wary. A government school teacher from Old Delhi, who requested anonymity, said that internal reshuffling could worsen the vacancy problem in already under-staffed schools. “The number of vacant posts in a school will rise once transfers to CM Shri schools are completed. In our school, seven positions are already unoccupied. Now that three of our teachers have been chosen for CM schools, the total vacancy will rise to ten,” the teacher explained. “Unless the current vacancies are addressed promptly, the new initiative won’t help us in any practical sense.”
Dismissing these concerns, a senior official of the Government School Teachers Association, clarified that transfers wouldn’t result in net vacancies. “The total strength of teachers remains unchanged. It is only their location that will vary,” he said.
Out of the 75 CM Shri schools, 12 will be newly constructed, while 63 will be upgraded within the premises of existing schools.
An education department official shared that these buildings will be renovated to match the higher academic and infrastructural benchmarks associated with the
CM Shri model.
To reduce teacher workload, Delhi approved 200 new PGT posts in 2024 with Level 8 pay. However, persistent vacancies highlight the urgent need for systemic hiring reforms to ensure students aren’t deprived of qualified
educators in classrooms.