Over 10,000 teachers may be affected: Rakkam
By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, July 18: The Supreme Court rulings on the eligibility of teachers qualified through distance education have stirred a significant concern in Meghalaya, particularly regarding their impact on the state’s education system and its existing workforce.
The August 14, 2023, judgment by the Supreme Court declared that Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) degree holders, especially those who obtained their degrees through distance education, are no longer eligible for primary school teaching positions in government-run or aided schools. This decision also quashed the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) criteria that previously allowed such candidates to be eligible for these jobs.
Justice V Ramasubramanian and Justice Pankaj Mithal in their judgment stated, “B.Ed. is not a qualification for teachers at the primary level of schooling. The pedagogical skills and training required from a teacher at the primary level are not expected from a B.Ed. trained teacher. They are trained to teach classes at higher levels, post-primary, secondary, and above…”
Additionally, the Supreme Court’s November 28, 2023, ruling specified that candidates with an 18-month Diploma in Elementary Education (D.El.Ed.) from the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) are also ineligible for primary teachers’ posts. The court underscored the necessity for primary level teachers to possess specialised training that aligns with the specific needs of young learners, which the D.El.Ed. course from NIOS does not adequately provide.
Reacting to the SC judgment, Education Minister Rakkam A Sangma on Thursday expressed hope that the ruling would not affect teachers already recruited. He acknowledged that the government is closely monitoring developments following the ruling, which he described as potentially disruptive if applied retrospectively.
“If this ruling is implemented retrospective then it may affect some teachers as some of them were already recruited before they procured their diplomas through distance education. But if it is made prospectively, then there is no worry at all,” Sangma said.
“Personally, I hope the latter will be operational, but I also think that such critical decisions should be made in a manner where academicians have a bigger stake and role, not just the judiciary. I could be wrong but it is my personal opinion and thought,” he said.
Sangma revealed that around 10,000 teachers in Meghalaya might be affected, and the government is working overtime to anticipate further developments to minimise inconvenience to these educators.
Meanwhile, the rulings have left many aspiring teachers in a state of uncertainty. A student from Jowai, who planned to pursue her B.Ed. via distance education in Kolkata, shared her confusion and frustration. “I have my tickets done, and accommodation booked, and ready to go to Kolkata for my distance education in B.Ed, and have no clue about this recent judgment whatsoever. I do not know what to do,” she said, while declining to be named.
This student is part of a group that plans to travel to Kolkata through an agency, incurring costs of around 1,30,000 per year for the course, besides several other expenses. The recent judgments have thrown their plans into disarray, highlighting the need for better dissemination of information regarding such critical changes in the education policy.