Teacher attendance and vacancies — RTI to the DEO

Sunita lives in a district-headquarters town in Madhya Pradesh. Her son studies in Class V at the local government upper-primary school, which runs Classes I to VIII and has an enrolment of about 180 children. The UDISE+ “Know Your School” report for the school lists seven sanctioned teaching posts. On most weekdays, Sunita counts only two or three teachers actually present. Classes are routinely merged, the afternoon session is left unsupervised, and her son comes home saying no teacher took maths again.

She is not imagining it. Across India, the Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) records 1.01 crore teachers against 14.71 lakh schools for 2024-25, but sanctioned-versus-working gaps and chronic absenteeism hollow out those numbers on the ground. The problem is not invisible — it is recorded in registers that the school keeps, the Block Education Officer forwards, and the DEO consolidates. What Sunita does not have is the paper that proves the gap. That paper is her right under the Right to Information Act, 2005. This guide shows exactly which office holds it, what to ask, and how to frame the questions so they are not blocked on privacy grounds.

“Teacher attendance” in the RTI sense means two separate things, and a citizen should ask for both. The first is the attendance register — the daily record of which teacher was present, on leave, on deputation, or absent without permission. The second is the vacancy position — the gap between the sanctioned strength of teaching posts for a school and the teachers actually working there. Both are held by the school and consolidated at the Block Education Officer (BEO) and District Education Officer (DEO) level.

The legal backbone is the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 — the RTE Act. Three sections matter for your RTI.

Section 24 — Duties of teachers. Section 24(1)(a) makes it a statutory duty of every teacher to “maintain regularity and punctuality in attending school.” Sub-clauses (b) and © require the teacher to conduct and complete the curriculum; (d) to assess each child's learning ability; (e) to hold regular parent meetings on attendance and progress. Section 24(2) says default in any of these duties leads to disciplinary action under the service rules, after a reasonable opportunity of hearing. This is the enforceable duty whose breach your RTI evidence supports.

Section 25 — Pupil-Teacher Ratio. The appropriate Government and local authority must maintain the PTR specified in the Schedule. For Classes I to V: up to 60 children means 2 teachers; 61 to 90 means 3; 91 to 120 means 4; 121 to 200 means 5; above 200 the PTR shall not exceed 40:1, excluding the Head Teacher, who is added once enrolment crosses 150. For Classes VI to VIII: at least one teacher per class plus one teacher per 35 children; where admissions exceed 100, a full-time Head Teacher must be provided, plus part-time instructors for Art, Health and Physical Education, and Work Education. Section 25(2) adds that no teacher posted in a school shall be made to serve in any other school or office, or be deployed for a non-educational purpose, except for census, disaster relief, or election duty (read with Section 27).

Section 27 — Prohibition of deployment for non-educational purposes — except decennial census, disaster relief, or election duties. Section 28 imposes an absolute prohibition on private tuition by teachers. Both are useful when your RTI question asks whether teachers have been diverted to non-teaching work.

The public authority you file against is the DEO, because individual schools are not themselves “public authorities” under Section 2(h) of the RTI Act. The Delhi High Court settled this in PIO Govt. of NCT of Delhi v. Saurabh Sharma and Others (29 September 2015), setting aside two Central Information Commission orders that had tried to keep teacher attendance, student attendance, budget and registers open for walk-in inspection at all Delhi government schools. The Court held that only the Directorate of Education is a public authority; access must be through a Section 6 application to the CPIO of the DoE. So the route is not “walk into the school and demand the register” — it is a written RTI to the DEO.

The records you want live in a chain. The school keeps the daily attendance register and the vacancy position statement. The BEO consolidates these across the block and forwards them to the DEO. The DEO holds the district-wide sanctioned-versus-working strength, transfer and deputation orders, and the PTR compliance report. For Central schools — Kendriya Vidyalayas and Navodaya Vidyalayas — the chain runs through the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS) or the Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS), and the Second Appeal lies to the Central Information Commission. For state schools, the Second Appeal lies to your State Information Commission.

The UDISE+ portal (udiseplus.gov.in), run by the Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education, validates school, student and teacher data at block, district, state and national levels. The 2024-25 figures are 14.71 lakh schools, 10.13 lakh government schools, 24.69 crore students, and 1.01 crore teachers. The “Know Your School” lookup by UDISE code gives you a baseline of sanctioned and working strength and PTR. Print that page and attach it to your RTI — it pins the PIO to a specific school and a specific data point.

The Ministry of Education, Department of School Education and Literacy (education.gov.in) publishes designated CPIOs and Appellate Authorities under the RTI Act, including the Samagra Shiksha and RTE Act divisions. That is the nodal Central reference, but for a state school your filing point stays the DEO.

Two things have moved recently.

First, the RTE Act Section 23 — Qualifications for appointment of teachers was amended in 2017 so that every teacher in position as on 31 March 2015 who did not possess the minimum qualifications (laid down by the National Council for Teacher Education, NCTE) had to acquire them within four years. When you ask for the vacancy position, also ask for the qualification status of each teacher in position against the NCTE norms — this is a live compliance question, not a historical one.

Second, UDISE+ now reports in near real time rather than once a year. The 2024-25 UDISE+ release confirms 1.01 crore teachers and 24.69 crore students. The portal's school-level lookup is refreshed as data is validated. That means the baseline you attach to your RTI is current, not a stale snapshot — and the DEO cannot credibly plead “we do not have the figures” when UDISE+ already publishes them at school level.

The RTE Act's constitutional foundation was settled in Society for Un-Aided Private Schools of Rajasthan v. Union of India, (2012) 6 SCC 1, decided 12 April 2012 by a three-judge bench (Kapadia CJ, Swatanter Kumar J in the majority; Radhakrishnan J dissenting). The Act was upheld as constitutionally valid, and Section 12(1)© — the 25 percent reservation in private unaided non-minority schools — was upheld as a reasonable restriction under Article 19(6). For your RTI, this means the statutory framework you are citing is settled law, not a contested provision.

Step 1 — Identify the public authority.

1. For a state government school: file with the CPIO, District Education Officer of your district. If the records are block-level, route through the Block Education Officer (BEO), who reports to the DEO.
2. For a Kendriya Vidyalaya or Navodaya Vidyalaya: file with the CPIO, KVS or NVS as the case may be. The Second Appeal then lies to the Central Information Commission.
3. Do not file the RTI addressed to the individual school — it is not a public authority, and the application will be returned.

Step 2 — Prepare your questions. Ask for specific, dated, aggregate records. Five strong questions:

1. Sanctioned versus working strength: “Furnish the sanctioned versus working teacher strength for [school name, UDISE code] as on [date], post-wise, with the source register.”
2. Month-wise attendance: “Furnish the month-wise aggregate teacher-attendance summary for [school] for the academic year [year], expressed as total teacher-days sanctioned versus teacher-days present, month by month.”
3. Transfer and deputation: “Furnish all transfer, deputation and leave orders affecting [school] issued in the last 12 months, with names of teachers affected, order numbers and dates.”
4. PTR compliance: “Furnish the pupil-teacher ratio compliance statement for [school] under RTE Act 2009 Section 25 read with the Schedule, for the current academic year, and if the ratio is not met, the action-taken note.”
5. Complaints and action: “Furnish the register of complaints of teacher absenteeism or non-teaching deployment received for [school] in the last 12 months, with the action taken on each.”

Step 3 — Use the right form and fee.

1. File under Section 6(1) of the RTI Act, 2005. The fee for a state application is Rs.10 in most states (the common state norm, including Madhya Pradesh); BPL cardholders file free. For a Central application to KVS or NVS, the fee is Rs.10 by Indian Postal Order, bank draft, or court-fee stamp, and you can also file online through the Central RTI portal (rtionline.gov.in) and pay by card. Check your state's RTI Rules for the exact fee and mode — see RTI Fees by State and Online Portal Directory (2026) for the state-wise quick reference.

Step 4 — Submit and keep proof. File by hand at the DEO's office and take a stamped receiving copy, or send by registered post and keep the acknowledgement, or file online and save the registration number. Proof of submission is your protection if the reply is delayed.

Step 5 — Wait 30 days. The CPIO must reply within 30 days of receiving your application under Section 7(1) — 48 hours if the matter concerns life or liberty, which attendance queries normally do not.

RTI is powerful because it has a built-in ladder. If the CPIO ignores you or gives a vague reply, you do not stop there.

1. First appeal: If no reply comes within 30 days, or you are unhappy with the reply, file a First Appeal under Section 19(1) with the First Appellate Authority (FAA) in the DEO's office. Do this within 30 days of the deadline. The FAA must decide within 30 days, extendable to 45.
2. Second appeal: If the FAA also fails you, file a Second Appeal under Section 19(3) with your State Information Commission (for state schools) or the Central Information Commission (for KVS or NVS). There is no fee for a second appeal to the Central Information Commission.
3. Complaint under Section 18: You can also file a direct complaint to the Information Commission if the CPIO never replied at all or refused to accept your application.

The Central Information Commission has already confirmed the route in Som Dutt Sharma v. Directorate of Education, GNCT of Delhi — CIC Decision No. 3352/IC(A)/2008, 1 October 2008, where the appellant sought inspection of teacher attendance records, service books and leave encashment across 18 schools. The CIC upheld that attendance records are held by the school and the DEO and that access is through a Section 6 application. That is your authority.

1. A printout of the UDISE+ “Know Your School” report for your child's school (from udiseplus.gov.in, searched by UDISE code).
2. The school's RTE Act Section 25 PTR Schedule position if you can obtain it from the SMC.
3. Any written complaint you have already submitted to the Head Teacher, SMC, or BEO, with the receiving.
4. A BPL card copy if you are claiming the fee exemption.
5. For a Central school, the KVS or NVS school code.

1. Filing without the UDISE code. Without the 9-digit UDISE code the PIO can claim the school is not identified. Always attach the UDISE+ printout.
2. Asking for a named teacher's personal attendance. Section 8(1)(j) privacy exemption applies — as held in Dr. R.S. Gupta v. GNCTD (Delhi High Court, 31 August 2020) — unless you show larger public interest. Ask for aggregate school-level data instead.
3. Addressing the application to the school itself. The school is not a public authority — only the DEO (or KVS or NVS) is. This was settled in Saurabh Sharma (Delhi High Court, 29 September 2015).
4. Skipping the PTR ask. RTE Act Section 25 is an enforceable duty, not a suggestion. If you do not ask for the PTR compliance statement, you lose the strongest legal lever in the file.
5. Forgetting non-teaching deployment. RTE Act Sections 25(2) and 27 forbid deploying teachers for non-educational purposes except census, disaster relief, or election duty. Ask whether any teacher of the school has been so diverted.
6. Not keeping proof of submission. Without a stamped receiving or registered post acknowledgement, you cannot prove the 30-day clock started.

To: The Central Public Information Officer
    Office of the District Education Officer
    [District name], [State]

Subject: Application under Section 6(1) of the RTI Act, 2005 —
        Teacher attendance, vacancies and RTE Act Section 25 compliance
        for [school name, UDISE code].

Sir/Madam,

I am a parent of a child studying at [school name], UDISE code
[xxxxxxxxx], located in [block, district, state]. The UDISE+
"Know Your School" report for this school (copy enclosed) shows
[sanctioned strength] teaching posts. On the ground, far fewer
teachers are present on most working days, and classes are
frequently merged or left unsupervised.

Under Section 6(1) of the Right to Information Act, 2005, please
furnish the following information:

1. The sanctioned versus working teacher strength for
   [school, UDISE code] as on [date], post-wise, with a reference
   to the source register maintained under RTE Act 2009
   Section 24.

2. The month-wise aggregate teacher-attendance summary for the
   school for the academic year [year], expressed as total
   teacher-days sanctioned versus teacher-days present,
   month by month.

3. All transfer, deputation and leave orders affecting the school
   issued in the last 12 months, with the names of teachers
   affected, order numbers and dates.

4. The pupil-teacher ratio compliance statement for the school
   under RTE Act 2009 Section 25 read with the Schedule, for the
   current academic year, and if the ratio is not met, the
   action-taken note.

5. The register of complaints of teacher absenteeism or
   non-teaching deployment received for the school in the last
   12 months, with the action taken on each.

If any of the above is held by a different public authority under
Section 6(3), please transfer the relevant portion within five
days and inform me.

I declare that the information sought is not exempt under
Section 8(1)(j) as it is aggregate school-level data and involves
a larger public interest in the education of children under the
RTE Act 2009.

Fee: Rs.10 by Indian Postal Order, Number [xxxxxxxx].

Date: [dd/mm/yyyy]
Place: [place]
[Name and signature]

Enclosures: UDISE+ "Know Your School" printout for the school.

If the CPIO does not reply within 30 days, file a First Appeal under Section 19(1) to the FAA in the DEO office. If the FAA also fails, file a Second Appeal under Section 19(3) to your State Information Commission. Use the timeline calculator at https://righttoinformation.wiki/tools/timeline-calculator-app.html to track your deadlines, and check the PIO's reply against the standards at https://righttoinformation.wiki/tools/pio-reply-checker-app.html before you appeal. You can also draft the first appeal with https://righttoinformation.wiki/tools/first-appeal-app.html .

Not directly. The Delhi High Court in Dr. R.S. Gupta v. GNCTD (31 August 2020) held that an individual teacher's attendance record is personal information exempt under Section 8(1)(j) of the RTI Act unless a larger public interest is demonstrated. The safer, and equally effective, route is to ask for the month-wise aggregate teacher-attendance summary for the whole school — total teacher-days sanctioned versus present — which proves the gap without naming anyone.

No. The Delhi High Court in Saurabh Sharma (29 September 2015) held that an individual school is not a “public authority” under Section 2(h) of the RTI Act; only the Directorate of Education, and by extension the DEO, is. Address your application to the CPIO at the DEO office. For Kendriya Vidyalayas and Navodaya Vidyalayas, address it to the CPIO of KVS or NVS.

For a state application, the common state fee is Rs.10, payable by Indian Postal Order, court-fee stamp, or cash against receipt. BPL cardholders file free. For a Central application to KVS or NVS, the fee is Rs.10 by Indian Postal Order, bank draft, or court-fee stamp, and you can also file online through rtionline.gov.in and pay by card. Check your state's RTI Rules for the exact mode — see RTI Fees by State and Online Portal Directory (2026) for the state-wise schedule.

Under Section 6(3) of the RTI Act, if the information sought is held by another public authority, the CPIO must transfer the relevant portion within five days and inform you. The BEO reports to the DEO, so a transfer to the BEO is proper — but the 30-day clock still runs from the date your application reached the DEO.

Take the reply to the School Management Committee (SMC) constituted under RTE Act Section 21. The SMC has the statutory function of monitoring the school's working, including teacher presence and PTR compliance. A written SMC resolution, backed by the RTI data, is the document that pushes the DEO to fill vacancies, recall deputed teachers, and enforce Section 25.

A regular teacher is appointed against a sanctioned post under RTE Act Section 23 qualifications (NCTE norms). A para-teacher, in some states, is engaged on contract at lower pay and may or may not meet Section 23 norms. You can ask the DEO, under RTI, for the qualification status of each teacher in position against the NCTE norms, and for the number of para-teachers against regular teachers in the school.

Yes. RTE Act Sections 25(2) and 27 prohibit deploying a teacher for non-educational purposes except decennial census, disaster relief, or election duty. Ask the DEO for a list of all teachers of the school diverted to any non-teaching work in the last 12 months, with the purpose and the authorising order. Section 28 separately prohibits private tuition by teachers.

File a complaint under Section 18 of the RTI Act directly to your State Information Commission (or the Central Information Commission for KVS or NVS), and a First Appeal under Section 19(1) to the FAA in the DEO office. The Section 18 complaint can seek a penalty against the CPIO at Rs.250 per day of delay, up to Rs.25,000.

1. Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 — Section 24 duties of teachers: [indiacode.nic.in](https://www.indiacode.nic.in/show-data?abv=AN&actid=AC_CEN_9_9_00006_200935_1517807327595&orderno=24&sectionId=9031)
2. RTE Act 2009 — Section 25 Pupil-Teacher Ratio and Section 27 prohibition of non-educational deployment: [indiankanoon.org](https://indiankanoon.org/doc/197521744/)
3. RTE Act 2009 — Section 23 qualifications for appointment of teachers: [advocatekhoj.com](https://www.advocatekhoj.com/library/bareActs/rightofchildrentofree/index.php)
4. PIO Govt. of NCT of Delhi v. Saurabh Sharma and Others, Delhi High Court, 29 September 2015: [indiankanoon.org](http://indiankanoon.org/doc/92240883/)
5. Dr. R.S. Gupta v. GNCTD, Delhi High Court, 31 August 2020 — Section 8(1)(j) privacy on teacher attendance: [scconline.com](https://www.scconline.com/blog/post/2020/09/03/del-hc-does-disclosure-of-information-with-no-larger-public-interest-amount-to-an-invasion-of-privacy-under-s-81j-of-rti-act-hc-elucidates/)
6. Som Dutt Sharma v. Dte. of Education, GNCT of Delhi — CIC Decision No. 3352/IC(A)/2008, 1 October 2008: [indiankanoon.org](http://indiankanoon.org/doc/559707/)
7. Society for Un-Aided Private Schools of Rajasthan v. Union of India, (2012) 6 SCC 1: [legalvidhiya.com](https://legalvidhiya.com/society-for-un-aided-private-schools-of-rajasthan-vs-union-of-india-and-anr-2012-6-scc/)
8. UDISE+ portal — Unified District Information System for Education Plus: [udiseplus.gov.in](https://udiseplus.gov.in/#/en/home)
9. Ministry of Education — Department of School Education and Literacy, RTI CPIOs and Appellate Authorities: [education.gov.in](https://www.education.gov.in/en/rti_sel)

1. Pull the UDISE+ report first. Before you draft a single question, open udiseplus.gov.in, type the school's UDISE code, and print the “Know Your School” report. It gives you the sanctioned and working strength, PTR, and enrolment the DEO already reports to the Centre. Quote those exact numbers in your RTI so the CPIO cannot claim the figures are not available.
2. Pair the RTI with an SMC resolution. Under RTE Act Section 21, every government school has a School Management Committee with three-quarters parent members and a monitoring function. A written SMC demand, backed by your RTI reply, is far harder for the DEO to ignore than an RTI reply sitting in a drawer.
3. Ask for the action-taken note, not just the breach. Merely showing that the PTR Schedule is not met is half the job. Always add: “and if the ratio is not met, furnish the action-taken note.” That forces the DEO to produce a dated, signed paper showing what the department intends to do about the breach.
4. Distinguish deputation from vacancy. A teacher on deputation to the census office, a disaster-relief cell, or election duty is a lawful Section 27 deployment. A teacher simply absent, or diverted to a non-teaching office work without a Section 27 ground, is a breach. Ask the DEO to classify each missing teacher against Section 27, so the reply itself flags unlawful diversions.
5. Time the application to the academic calendar. File early in the academic year, when the sanctioned-versus-working position is freshly recorded and before mid-year transfers blur the picture. The 30-day reply will then land while the SMC can still act on it that same term.

1. How Parents Can Use RTI to Improve Government School Facilities and
2. Mid-Day Meal not served? RTI to fix it
3. RTE 25% Admission Denied? Force Action With RTI in 2026
4. School fee hike unfair — RTI to the Fee Regulatory Committee
5. Scholarship not credited — RTI to track status and force disbursal
6. Get Your Evaluated Answer Sheet Under RTI
7. school-record-correction-refused
8. board-exam-result-withheld-school-error

Last reviewed: 4 July 2026.