Pankaj Jain,
New Delhi, Jan 29(UNI) Delhi Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta has written to Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena, raising concerns over alleged gender-based discrimination in the promotion system for teachers under the Directorate of Education (DoE).
In his letter, Gupta forwarded a representation submitted by UDITA (Unified Development Initiative of Teachers and Administrators), a teachers’ welfare organisation, highlighting what it described as an unfair seniority and promotion framework affecting women educators.
According to the representation, the DoE continues to maintain separate seniority lists for male and female teachers.
This system has resulted in women teachers waiting significantly longer for promotions despite having higher overall experience and larger numbers in the workforce. In several cases, female teachers reportedly retire without receiving due career advancement, while their male counterparts move ahead faster, It said.
The matter is currently pending before the Delhi High Court. The department had earlier indicated that the gender-based seniority lists would be merged.
However, promotions are still being carried out under the existing system, prompting allegations that women teachers are being placed at a disadvantage.
Gupta has urged the Lieutenant Governor to intervene and issue directions to the Directorate of Education to immediately consolidate the seniority lists and ensure that promotions are conducted in a fair and uniform manner, without any gender-based distinction.
The Speaker also recalled that his office had previously advised the department to review the issue in consultation with the government’s standing counsel and other stakeholders, with the aim of ending the separate listing of male and female candidates.
He warned that continuing promotions under the old framework could further deepen gender imbalance and administrative injustice.
Emphasising the constitutional guarantee of equality, Gupta noted that any practice which discriminates on the basis of gender runs contrary to the principles of equal opportunity in public employment.
He stressed that promotion processes must be transparent and based solely on merit and seniority. A fair system, he said, is essential not only for institutional credibility but also for restoring confidence among women professionals who have long faced structural barriers in the workplace.
