Over 16K candidates for guest teacher failed to get minimum passing marks: HC told

The Delhi Subordinate Services Selection Board (DSSSB) has informed the Delhi High Court that the performance of guests teachers, who are working with the Directorate of Education, was "substandard" in the examination conducted to fill a large number of vacancies in government schools. The board said that out of 21,135 guest teachers who appeared in the examination, 16,383 candidates "failed to get even minimum passing marks".

The DSSSB, in an affidavit filed in a pending contempt petition by an NGO, said it was making all efforts to provide regular teachers to the Delhi government's Directorate of Education (DoE) before the commencement of the next academic session of 2019-20. "The performance of the serving guest teachers in DoE who appeared in the examination against the vacancies... has been observed to be substandard.

"Out of 21,135 guest teachers appeared in the examination of various postcodes..., 16,383 candidates failed to get even minimum passing marks," the board said in its affidavit. It said keeping in mind these facts, it is for the DoE to take a view on the continuation or otherwise of the guest teachers, especially who did not even secure the minimum pass marks in the exam.

The matter would be taken up for hearing by Justice Vinod Goel on March 29. NGO Social Jurist, through advocate Ashok Agarwal, has alleged deliberate omission in compliance of the high court's December 2001 order directing the DSSSB to ensure zero vacancies of teachers in Delhi government schools on the commencement of each academic year.

Agarwal claimed that the board was deliberately delaying the appointment of regular teachers under the influence of politicians due to which students are made to suffer. The DSSSB said more than 7.5 lakh candidates had appeared in the examination to 9,556 vacant posts of teachers in Delhi government schools conducted during July to November 2018.

It added that 1.15 lakh candidates had taken the test conducted for 5,906 vacancies of teachers in MCD schools. Earlier, a division bench of the high court had pulled up the Delhi government for insisting to regularise guest teachers in government schools.

It had said if guest teachers were competent, they would pass the exam conducted for recruiting regular teachers. The bench had said that the appointment of over 9,000 teachers was hanging due to the dispute between the LG and the Delhi government over the fate of guest teachers.

A single judge, on December 11, 2017, had stayed the DSSSB notice withdrawing the process of appointment of over 8,914 teachers for the government schools. It had asked the authorities to issue a fresh advertisement calling for applications from eligible candidates by the end of December 2017.

The court's order had come on an application of the NGO seeking a stay on the DSSSB order withdrawing a notice on the appointment of the teachers in government-run schools and alleging that the board's August 24, 2017 notice was "illegal and contemptuous in nature". The plea had said that after a high court order of April 11, 2017, the DSSSB issued a vacancy notice on August 7, 2017, inviting applications from candidates for 8,914 teaching posts in the DoE and for 5,906 teaching posts in the municipal corporation schools.

It alleged that the DSSSB, without informing or seeking permission from the court, had on August 24, 2017, "abruptly withdrawn the advertisement" regarding the vacancies in the Delhi government-run schools. Agreeing with the NGO's contention, the court had put on hold the operation of the August 24, 2017 notice of the DSSSB and had directed it to proceed with advertising afresh for recruiting teachers to the Delhi government schools.

(With inputs from agencies.)