Shillong Mar 19: The Meghalaya High Court has ruled that persons entering into service as lower primary school teacher after August 23, 2010 have to pass 10+2 exam and other requisite qualifications.
The judgement was passed on March 13 by acting chief justice, S.R. Sen after hearing a petition filed in 2014 by around 200 in-service teachers from across the state who pleaded that existing teachers appointed prior to a notification issued on August 23, 2010 by the National Council for Teacher Education should not be affected.
Speaking to reporters here on Monday, senior advocate, A.H. Hazarika who represented the petitioners (teachers) said, “the court has made it clear that after August 23, 2010, whoever enters in the service as teacher in government or non-government will have to pass 10+2 exam and other requisite qualifications.â€
On April 1, 2015 the director of Meghalaya school education and literacy issued a notification which stated that only those candidates who fulfilled the norms of the National Council for Teacher Education issued on August 23, 2010 should be considered for appointment of as assistant teacher in lower primary/upper primary schools and the specified norms are applicable to all category of schools.
The director said that according to NCTE norms, for appointment in lower primary schools, the person should be HSLLC (higher secondary school leaving certificate) passed with 45 per cent and two years diploma in elementary education/ four years bachelor in elementary education.
For appointment in uppr primary schools, the qualification should be BA/BSc passed and two years diploma in elementary education/ one year bachelor in elementary education/ HSSLC passed with 50 per cent and four years BA/BSc passed with 50 per cent and one year bachelor in education (special education).
Hazarika however said that those already in service should not be affected but those who entered the service after August 23, 2010, the norms and guidelines issued by the state government in line with the NCTE norms shall be bound to apply.
Urging the state government to respect teachers who were already in service prior to the implementation of the NCTE norms, Hazarika said that no officers in the education department has the right to insist and direct the existing teachers working continuously prior to the notification (August 23, 2010) to obtain certain qualifications. (EoM)