Mumbai: Minister Ashish Shelar Directs In-City Adjustment Of Surplus Private School Teachers, Ensures Uninterrupted Salaries

Mumbai: Mumbai Suburban Guardian Minister Ashish Shelar on Thursday directed that teachers declared surplus in private aided schools within Mumbai should be adjusted within the city itself and not transferred to neighbouring districts. He also instructed authorities to ensure that the salaries of such teachers are not withheld during the adjustment process.

The directive was issued during a review meeting convened to discuss the issue of surplus teachers arising from staff approvals for the 2025-26 academic year. According to officials, 1,176 teachers in private aided schools within the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) area have been identified as surplus.

The matter was raised by BJP Teachers' Front president Raju Bandgar, who urged the government to redeploy surplus teachers against vacancies in municipal schools. He pointed out that while aided schools were witnessing excess staff, several BMC-run schools continued to face a shortage of teachers.

During the meeting, the Teachers' Front reiterated its demand that surplus teachers should remain in Mumbai rather than being transferred to neighbouring districts such as Palghar, Raigad and Ratnagiri.

Officials informed the meeting that existing government policy requires the BMC to bear the salaries of teachers adjusted into municipal schools. However, the civic body expressed its inability to do so under the current framework. Last year, the BMC had adjusted 533 surplus teachers on a temporary basis after adopting a policy that did not provide for permanent absorption.

BMC Deputy Commissioner Prachi Jambhekar said that permanent adjustment could create technical complications related to pension benefits, seniority and Shalarth identification records.

The meeting also noted that the government resolution governing the redeployment process lacks clarity on several administrative aspects. To address the issue, Shelar directed senior officials from the Education Department and the BMC to jointly prepare a comprehensive report within one month.

The report is expected to recommend a permanent mechanism and clear criteria for the adjustment of surplus teachers to ensure uniformity in implementation. Based on these recommendations, amendments may be made to existing government resolutions.

Until a long-term solution is finalised, Shelar instructed authorities to redeploy surplus teachers to BMC schools within Mumbai and ensure that their salaries continue without interruption.

The move is expected to provide relief to hundreds of teachers facing uncertainty over transfers and salary payments while helping address teacher shortages in municipal schools across the city.