Delhi faces staffing crunch as thousands of PGT vacancies remain unfilled

Thousands of teaching positions for post-graduate teachers (PGTs) continue to remain vacant in Delhi government schools, raising concerns about staffing shortages despite recent efforts to expand the school network.

According to data obtained through a Right to Information (RTI) request from the Directorate of Education, 3,998 out of 17,058 sanctioned PGT posts are currently unfilled across the capital.

The vacancy issue coincides with the Delhi government’s ongoing recruitment drive for 75 newly proposed CM Shri schools.

Last week, the directorate invited existing teachers to apply for transfers to these institutions through a dedicated interface.

A teacher from a government school in Old Delhi, speaking on condition of anonymity, expressed concern about the impact of these transfers.

“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,” the teacher said.

“Now that three of our teachers have been chosen for CM Shri schools, the total vacancy will rise to ten. Unless the current vacancies are addressed promptly, the new initiative won’t help us in any practical sense,” the teacher added.

Ajayveer Yadav, general secretary of the Government School Teachers Association, said the total workforce remains intact.

“The total strength of teachers remains unchanged. It is only their location that will vary,” he clarified.

An official from the education department noted that 12 of the CM Shri schools will be newly built, while the other 63 will be developed within existing school campuses. These buildings will undergo renovations to meet the upgraded standards of the initiative.

Earlier in 2024, Delhi’s Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena approved the creation of 200 new PGT posts to support secondary and senior secondary teaching.

The roles fall under Pay Matrix Level 8 with a salary range of ₹47,600 to ₹151,100 and were introduced to help meet growing academic needs across the public school system.