Teacher Workforce in Delhi Struggles to Keep Up with Rising Student Enrolment

New Delhi, amidst a growing student population in schools and higher education, the number of teachers in Delhi's educational institutions has seen only a marginal increase in recent years.

According to data from the Department of Economics and Statistics, the total number of teachers rose from 160,479 in 2023-24 to 161,958 in 2024-25. Of these, 43,400 were men and 118,558 were women.

At the primary school level, teacher numbers increased slightly from 25,970 in 2023-24 to 26,560 in 2024-25, with female teachers making up the majority.

In middle schools, teacher strength rose from 11,276 to 11,556 during the same period, while secondary schools saw a decline, with numbers dropping from 8,529 to 8,405.

Senior secondary schools accounted for the largest share of teachers, increasing from 114,704 to 115,437.

Data indicates that the trend of having more female teachers than male has remained consistent across all school levels. Historical data from 2021-22 and 2022-23 also shows a modest increase in teacher numbers from 151,600 to 156,038, with female teachers constituting over two-thirds of the workforce.

In contrast, student enrolment in higher educational institutions has remained high. Total enrolment rose from 1,504,593 in 2022-23 to 1,546,737 in 2023-24, with 759,194 girls and 787,543 boys.

However, a sharp decline occurred in 2024-25, with enrolment falling to 860,113, consisting of 418,716 girls and 441,396 boys. This data reflects enrolment across universities, colleges, and other higher educational institutions in Delhi.

The figures underscore a significant gap between student enrolment and the growth of the teaching workforce across educational levels in the capital.