Over 16,000 teaching posts vacant in Delhi schools; High Court seeks reply

More than 16,000 teaching positions are vacant in Delhi schools, and the High Court has ordered the Delhi government and municipal corporations to provide information on the status of these vacancies and the steps being taken to fill them. Prior to this, the Education Directorate of the Delhi government informed the court that there are over 16,000 vacant teaching positions in its schools. Of these, a total of 16,546 positions are empty, including about three librarian positions.

Justice Manmohan Singh Arora has ordered the submission of an affidavit within four weeks. He has also directed the Delhi Subordinate Services Selection Board (DSSSB) to submit an affidavit providing information on the status of these vacancies and steps being taken to fill them. The court made it clear that if the affidavit is not submitted within four weeks, the relevant party will be required to pay a fine of Rs 25,000. The High Court issued this order in response to a petition filed by a non-governmental organization, Social Jurist. During the hearing, advocate Ashok Agarwal explained that a new academic session is set to begin on April 1, but there are so many vacant teaching positions.

The next hearing in this case will be held on May 23.