On Monday, V K Saxena, lieutenant governor of Delhi gave the green light to a proposal aimed at revitalising 1,027 vice principal positions within the Directorate of Education under the Delhi government for the vacancy period spanning from 2014-2019. In a bid to eliminate adhocism and contractual appointments, Saxena endorsed the restoration of these positions, which were at risk of automatic abolition due to remaining unfilled within the stipulated time frame, as stated by the LG office, according to an official statement.
Highlighting a severe shortage of vice principals within the Delhi education department, the statement underscored that these vacant roles had been temporarily filled on an ad hoc and contractual basis by the DoE. Previously, under the Recruitment Rules (RRs), all vice principal positions were mandated to be filled through promotion. This would entail a shift from Group ‘B’ gazetted to Group ‘A’ gazetted cadre, with a modified selection process splitting promotion and direct recruitment through the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) evenly at 50%, the statement mentioned.
Responding to the development, the Aam Aadmi Party issued an official statement questioning the lieutenant governor’s accountability for the vacancies. They emphasised the critical importance of ensuring uninterrupted education for children and expressed disappointment in attempts to shift blame for the situation. According to the statement, out of the 1,027 vacant vice principal posts, 873 were filled on an adhoc basis up to September 2018, with the remaining 154 (pertaining to the 2018-2019 vacancy year) left unfilled, as per the statement.
The new Recruitment Rules (RRs) ensure eligible candidates for promotion cannot be denied, suggesting a potential exacerbation of the situation as current vice principals may retire, creating more vacancies in the foreseeable future, it added.
With inputs from PTI.