NEW DELHI: The Delhi Cabinet on Wednesday approved a policy allowing guest teachers to continue teaching till the age of 60 in its schools. Over 20,000 contractual teachers will now be hoping that Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal gives his nod to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government’s policy. Education minister Manish Sisodia put the ball in Baijal’s court, saying the L-G “is not only responsible for transfers and postings but also that the Education department functions smoothly”.
With the Cabinet passing the policy, Sisodia said, the 60-year age limit will be applicable on all guest teachers who are recruited on the basis of merit. “Their conduct rules will also be same as that of regular teachers. This is not a policy we are implementing out of blue… A similar policy was implemented in Haryana by the BJP. If they can do it in Haryana, what is the issue in Delhi? the L-G, the head of Services, can do this in minutes,” Sisodia said.
The education minister also accused the BJP of spoiling the entire administrative system of Delhi through the Services department. “I would request the people to remove it (BJP) from the power this time,” Sisodia said, a day after he wrote a letter to Baijal asking him to rise above “narrow politics”.
In his letter on Tuesday, Sisodia had noted with “deep anguish” that the L-G’s inaction not only brought thousands of guest teachers to the streets in protest but also that the entire government school system was on the verge of collapsing.
Meanwhile, the Delhi Subordinate Services Selection Board informed the Delhi High Court that the performance of guest teachers, who are working with the Directorate of Education, was “substandard” in the exam conducted to fill the large number of vacancies.In its affidavit, the Board informed the HC that of the 21,135 guest teachers who appeared in the recruitment examination, 16,383 candidates “failed to secure even the minimum passing marks”.