New Delhi’s political corridors are buzzing with a fresh push for gender equality in education. Delhi Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta has penned a strongly worded letter to Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena, spotlighting rampant discrimination against women teachers in the Directorate of Education.
The core issue? Separate seniority lists for male and female teachers that are crippling women’s career progression. While their male counterparts climb the ranks swiftly to roles like PGT, Vice Principal, and Principal, women are left waiting for years. Gupta attached a detailed complaint from Niti Bharara Oberoi, President of Udita Society for Welfare of Teachers, dated January 26, 2025, to hammer home the urgency.
This isn’t just an administrative glitch—it’s a systemic bias playing out in real time. The matter is already before the Delhi High Court, where the Directorate’s counsel admitted on May 1, 2025, that merging the lists is under consideration. Even the LG’s office had advised consulting stakeholders and the standing counsel to revisit and unify these gender-segregated lists.
Yet, shockingly, the department persists with promotions from these flawed lists, proposing PGTs to Vice Principal posts and sidelining deserving women. Gupta’s plea is clear: intervene now. He demands immediate directives to halt such promotions until a fair merger happens, ensuring no one’s rights are trampled.
‘Women teachers deserve justice,’ Gupta asserts. ‘Their legitimate claims must not suffer due to departmental delays.’ This call to action underscores a broader fight for equity in Delhi’s education sector, where trust in institutions hangs in the balance. With the LG’s office now in the spotlight, swift action could restore faith and set a precedent for fairness across government hiring.