MCD Orders Teachers to Enrol 3 Out-of-School Children Each by November 15; Teachers’ Body Flags Staff Shortage

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has directed teachers working in its schools to enrol at least three out-of-school children each by November 15, 2026, as part of a special survey and school admission campaign. The directive has drawn criticism from a teachers’ organisation, which says staff shortages and multiple non-teaching responsibilities could make the target difficult to achieve.

According to a circular issued by the MCD Education Department on October 28, school heads have been instructed to ensure compliance with the enrolment target. Zonal deputy directors and assistant directors of education have also been asked to implement the existing directions for identifying children who are not attending school.

The initiative aims to identify out-of-school children and bring them into the formal education system through admissions in municipal schools.

MCD sets November 15 deadline for enrolment

The civic body has outlined a schedule for monitoring the admission drive and tracking each teacher’s contribution.

According to the reported circular, the key deadlines are:

November 15, 2026: Deadline for each teacher to enrol at least three out-of-school children.

November 1–22, 2026: Period for maintaining school-wise and teacher-wise enrolment records.

November 23, 2026: Review meeting to assess progress at the office of the Director of Education.

The circular also states that the performance of principals and concerned teachers will be considered while assessing their annual performance reports for the 2026–27 period. Officials have been instructed to keep updated records available for review.

Why has the teachers’ organisation opposed the directive?

Kuldeep Singh Khatri, founder of Shikshak Nyay Manch Nagar Nigam, has questioned the timing of the campaign, arguing that teachers are already managing several responsibilities alongside classroom teaching.

He has pointed to a shortage of teachers in MCD schools and claimed that no recruitment drive for primary teachers had been announced since 2019. This recruitment-related statement is the organisation’s claim and has not been independently established through a current official recruitment record.

The organisation has also highlighted the additional duties assigned to teachers, including:

Booth-level officer (BLO) responsibilities related to electoral administration.

Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

Census-related work.

Mentoring and information technology assignments.

Participation in sporting events, including football leagues.

Khatri has argued that setting an individual admission target midway through the academic year is impractical under these circumstances. He suggested that such a campaign would be more effective at the beginning of the school year or during the winter vacation.

Why is the out-of-school children admission drive important?

Identifying children who have never enrolled in school or have dropped out is an important part of efforts to improve access to education. Timely identification and admission can help children return to formal schooling and access educational support.

In June 2025, The Indian Express reported that Delhi’s Samagra Shiksha Department had directed government-school heads, including those in MCD schools, to establish Special Admission Cells for out-of-school children. The initiative covered children who had never enrolled, those who had dropped out and children with special needs.

The latest MCD drive seeks to strengthen enrolment efforts through individual teacher targets and monitoring. However, the teachers’ organisation has argued that the administration should also address staffing gaps and competing duties to make the campaign more manageable.

What happens next?

The MCD is scheduled to review the enrolment progress on November 23, 2026, after collecting teacher-wise and school-wise records. The effectiveness of the initiative will depend on how many identified children are successfully admitted and whether they continue attending school.

The civic body’s response to the concerns raised by the teachers’ organisation, particularly regarding staffing and additional duties, will also be important in assessing the implementation of the campaign.