Acute staff shortage in govt schools: DoE report

The DoE runs 925 schools in the Capital and has asked for additional posts to be sanctioned so that appointments can be made.

Further,there is a shortage of over 1,000 teachers for senior classes as well as nearly 300 assistant teachers for nursery classes in government schools. There are also several other categories of teaching and non-teaching staff that need to be augmented to ensure proper functioning of these schools.

The teachers’ union of Delhi government schools has been demanding the appointment of two vice-principals in senior secondary schools to ensure a smoother administrative process.

“There is also a shortage of teachers due to which existing teachers have to put in hours much beyond the stipulated time. Many of them teach up to 50 periods a week,much more than the hours per week of work required from a school teacher,” Om Singh,president,Government School Teachers’ Union,said.

The proposal submitted takes into account the requirements of existing schools as well as the expansion of government-run schools through the addition of extra classrooms and the building of new schools.

The DoE report has also revealed that ‘Project Roopantar’,the flagship project aimed at revamping school buildings and infrastructure,is also running behind schedule. The project,the contract for which has been given to the Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation,was to have covered 198 school buildings by March 2009,but only five schools have been actually renovated till date. There are currently 56 schools for which the process of inviting tenders for construction has not even begun. At 91 schools,tenders have been invited and work is scheduled to begin soon.

In addition,the report has also blamed the Public Works Department for delay in incorporating fire safety measures in school buildings. The PWD was allotted Rs 70 crore to install fire safety equipment in government schools in the 2007-08 fiscal year but the report states that till date,minimal work has been undertaken by the PWD.