Show-cause notices issued to Delhi government school teachers to explain poor performance in their subjects following the CBSE Class XII results are yet to be withdrawn, with teachers saying it will adversely affect their service record and annual appraisal.
The overall pass percentage of government schools dropped to 91.97% from the previous year’s 95.18%, making it the lowest since 2019. Yet, it outperformed the national average of 85.20%.
Copies of notices seen by The Indian Express, issued by heads of schools part of the Directorate of Education (DoE), show that the senior teachers were asked to explain subject-wise results. One show-cause notice issued to a Political Science lecturer stated that the result of students in the teacher’s subject had been “considerably below the expected standard”. It said the overall performance reflected “a high failure percentage and poor achievement level”, which had “adversely affected the school result”.
The notice said a subject teacher was expected to ensure “proper academic planning, regular assessment, remedial teaching, monitoring of students progress, and effective classroom practices”, adding that the result required “immediate explanation”.
The teacher was directed to explain the reasons for the poor performance and clarify “why appropriate action should not be initiated for the unsatisfactory result”. The notice also asked the teacher to submit details of “corrective measures” proposed to improve future academic performance.
The Education Department and Education Minister Ashish Sood did not respond to calls seeking comment.
A memorandum issued to another lecturer described the examination outcome as “unsatisfactory and below the expected standard of the school”. It stated that academic performance reflects the quality of “teaching, regular assessment, remedial measures, classroom management, and academic monitoring conducted by the subject teacher concerned”, and sought a detailed explanation along with corrective measures for future examinations.
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The notices come amid a broader review of academic performance by the Delhi government. Soon after results were announced, Sood last month directed principals and heads of schools to focus on academic quality, digital infrastructure, and “tangible learning outcomes”, while asking them to ensure regular monitoring and assessment of learning outcomes over the next three months.
During a review meeting on May 15, Sood also directed schools to pay equal attention to theory and practical components of learning in line with CBSE guidelines. He noted that students often perform well in practical examinations but fail to achieve expected results in theory papers, affecting their overall academic performance.
The minister had asked school heads to review student attendance every week, identify reasons behind low attendance, and ensure better use of available resources to improve academic support for students.
Last week, the Government School Teachers’ Association (GSTA) approached Sood, saying teachers have been unfairly held responsible for a dip in results that coincided with the CBSE’s introduction of the On-Screen Marking (OSM) system, a digital evaluation mechanism rolled out this year that has since been embroiled in controversy.
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In a letter dated May 29, the association said the OSM system was introduced “without adequate preparation and practical assessment” despite its recommendation that the mechanism first be implemented as a pilot project before being rolled out across the board.
The association said evaluators across subjects reported a range of technical issues during the assessment process, including “blurred scanned answer sheets, uploading of incorrect answer booklets, missing pages of answer sheets, and difficulties in reading scripts due to poor handwriting of students”. According to the letter, evaluators and officials adopted “excessive caution” to avoid mistakes, which “resulted in unusually strict marking in many cases”.
Referring to complaints received after the results were declared, the association said “a large number of complaints were received from students and parents regarding marks being significantly lower than expected”. It added that many students applied for re-evaluation and also encountered technical difficulties during the process.
The teachers’ body alleged that “the primary reason behind the decline in results was the technical and procedural shortcomings of the OSM system implemented for the first time”. It said despite this, teachers were “directly held responsible” and issued show-cause notices and memorandums.
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The association also objected to attempts to link board examination results with teachers’ annual assessments. In its representation, it alleged that some teachers had been threatened with adverse remarks in their APARs, creating “an atmosphere of unnecessary stress and mental pressure among the teaching fraternity”.
It added “every student possesses different learning abilities and intellectual capacities, and ultimately, the examination result is based upon the individual performance of the student… holding teachers solely responsible for such outcomes is neither fair nor justified”.
The association has requested the Education Minister to withdraw all show-cause notices and memorandums and treat them as null and void.
Speaking to The Indian Express, GSTA head Ajay Veer Yadav said no formal response or clarification had been issued by the Education Department so far. He said show-cause notices and warning letters could later become part of a teacher’s service record and may be cited while recording the Annual Performance Appraisal Report.
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“Their impact is not immediately visible. However, in future, the employee may face adverse consequences in matters relating to promotion, selection, or other service-related issues,” Yadav said. A
Asked how many teachers had received such notices, Yadav said an official count could not be stated. “However, it is estimated that approximately 50 per cent of PGT teachers have certainly received it,” he said.
