SHILLONG: The High Court of Meghalaya has said lower primary school teachers who joined after August 23, 2010, have to pass 10+2 examination and need to have other requisite qualifications.
Informing this here on Monday, senior advocate AH Hazarika, who represented the teachers, said the ruling came from the High Court 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.
“The court has made it clear that after August 23, 2010, whoever enters the service as teacher in government or non-government school will have to pass 10+2 exam and other requisite qualifications,” he said.
According to Hazarika, on April 1, 2015, the director of Meghalaya school education and literacy issued a notification that 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 as assistant teachers in lower primary/upper primary schools and the specified norms are applicable to all categories of schools.
The director said according to NCTE norms, for appointment in a lower primary school, a person should complete HSSLC with 45 per cent and two-year diploma in elementary education/four-year bachelor in elementary education.
For appointment in upper primary schools, the qualification should be BA/BSc degree and two-year diploma in elementary education/one-year bachelor in elementary education/HSSLC with 50 per cent marks and four-year BA/BSc degree with 50 per cent and one-year bachelor in education (special education).
Hazarika, however, said 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 NCTE norms should be bound to apply.
