Out of the 1,027 government schools in the national capital, merely 203 have a principal or a headmaster, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), the apex body for child rights, said on Tuesday, April 12. It even sought an explanation about the high vaccines in this vital post from the Government of Delhi.
However, the Delhi government informed that teacher recruitment in its school is carried out by the services department which is under Lieutenant Governor (LG) Anil Baijal, appointed by the Central government, as stated in a report by PTI.
NCPCR addressed a letter to Delhi Chief Secretary Vijay Dev and informed that its team, led by the chairperson, had visited several schools in Delhi and found discrepancies with respect to infrastructure and a few other aspects.
It is while these visits were being carried out that it came to the attention of the commission that the post of head of school (HoS) was found to be vacant.
Also, as many as 203 out of 1,027 schools were said to be without a headmaster/acting headmaster/ principal.
Chairperson of NCPCR Priyank Kanoongo stated that the head of the school's role is vital to ensure that the school has a positive learning environment plus a caring and inclusive atmosphere. Their absence could also lead to safety and security issues for children, she said.
"Further, as per the Schedule given in RTE Act, 2009 outlining the norms and standards for schools, for classes 6 to 8, where admission of children is above one hundred, there shall be a full-time head-teacher in the school," the NCPCR, which is the monitoring authority of the Right To Education (RTE) Act, said.
By April 19, the chief secretary has been directed by Kanoongo to present his statements with "factual position about the vacancies of HoS/Principal and action taken in this regard".
In another letter, the chief secretary was informed by the Chairperson of NCPCR that BJP MP Manoj Tiwari had visited Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya, Sabzi Mandi, Timarpur, Delhi and found huge issues related to the hygiene structure of the building which, in the future, could lead to serious consequences.
"In view of the seriousness of the issue, your good office is requested to take urgent action in the matter and an action taken report in this regard may be shared with the commission within seven days from the receipt of this letter," Kanoongo said on Tuesday, April 12.
In reaction, the Government of Delhi asked the panel to check about the data pertaining to the appointment of principals with the Centre.
The ones who are incharge of recruitment of teachers in Delhi government schools are Delhi Subordinate Services Selection Board, which comes under the services department. It reports directly to the Centre-appointed LG and hence, NCPCR should approach the government at the Centre, it said in a statement.
