In a shocking revelation, the Delhi High Court was informed that the Sarvodaya Bal Vidyalaya (SBV) at Peera Garhi was being run by just two guest teachers and that 57 posts of the sanctioned strength of 59 were lying vacant.
Affidavit
The Delhi government gave the figures in an affidavit submitted in the court on Thursday.
In fact, guest teachers are running the show at many other government schools, including at Sangam Vihar. At the Sangam Vihar school, 74 of the total strength of 112 are guest teachers and the rest of the posts are lying vacant.
Of the 59,409 allocated posts for teachers in government schools, 10,438 are lying vacant and 15,402 posts filled by guest faculty. Besides these, 2,792 assistant teachers and TGTs are working under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan scheme. Thus, the net vacancy is 7,646.
There are 5,486 sanctioned posts for TGT English teachers, of which 2,288 are vacant. Of the 5,227 sanctioned posts for social science TGT teachers, 3,021 are lying vacant. In the case of TGT math teachers, 3,389 of 5,785 posts are vacant.
Lack of infrastructure
The government made the submission in an affidavit filed in the court during the hearing of a case concerning lack of infrastructure and shortage of teachers in the government secondary school at Bhatti mines.
The case has been filed through advocate Ashok Agarwal, who has been highlighting the sad state of affairs in government schools.
Government aware
In the school at Bhatti mines, the classrooms have tin roofs which heat up unbearably in the summer. On this, the government said it was aware of the school’s condition. The government said it had started construction of 40 classrooms in 2014, but the work could not be completed as the land was notified as Bhatti Wild Sanctuary in 1991 and the police acted on the school building work as unauthorised construction.
Request
A request was made to the Forest Department to de-notify the land on which the school is running.
The Forest and Wildlife Department is yet to respond, the government informed the court, adding that land has been identified at Asola, located 3 km from where the school is running at present, but possession is yet to be taken.
“Paucity of land”
The government also submitted that “paucity of land in general is being compensated by demolishing single or double-storey school buildings and construction of four-storey buildings”.
“It is submitted that nearly 8,000 additional classrooms are under construction in 200 schools in the first phase... 24 new pucca buildings are under construction by the PWD and would be completed by the end of 2016.”
