Delhi: For guest teachers, government does a balancing act

There are close to 17,000 guest teachers in Delhi government schools in the absence of permanent teachers.

The Delhi government has informed the Delhi chief secretary that it wants to recruit regular teachers, but also make sure that guest teachers — who have been teaching in these schools — are given weightage for teaching in government schools. There are close to 17,000 guest teachers in Delhi government schools in the absence of permanent teachers. Sisodia has also expressed apprehension that some of the teachers, who are rendered jobless, could take to the streets.

Social activist Ashok Aggarwal had filed a petition in court raising the issue of permanent teachers not being appointed despite vacancies and demanded that the government make sure they be appointed at the earliest. In a letter to the Chief Secretary MM Kutty, Education Minister Manish Sisodia has said that there was a “need to think about the guest teachers, who have been working at schools, before recruiting fresh teachers for permanent positions”.

According to sources in the Delhi government, the Directorate of Education (DoE) sent requisition to the Delhi Subordinate Service Selection Board (DSSSB) to conduct exams to recruit teachers against the vacancies. Under the current system, there is no provision to either give relaxation in age or points for experience as guest teachers to applicants. The upper age limit is 30 years.

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“The Hon’ble High Court may be informed that the government is ready to recruit regular teachers; however the policy for this needs to include an age relaxation as well as a weightage for experience of teaching in government schools. This is not a means for regularising guest teachers via the back-door, but an attempt to give an opportunity to these 17,000 teachers, who have invaluable experience of teaching in Delhi government schools,” Sisodia told Kutty.

“One stroke of the pen will render more than 17,000 youth unemployed… Would they not be pushed to take drastic action? Who will be responsible if they take to rioting and violence…We are equally responsible to the citizens of Delhi who will suffer due to the protests and agitation which these 17,000 youth are likely to do if they are rendered jobless,” the letter states.

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