Patna: The Supreme Court on Friday said in a judgment that those having bachelor of education (BEd) degree will not be eligible to become teachers for classes 1 to 5. Those having diploma in elementary education (DElEd) will be considered eligible. The court has given this decision while hearing a case originating from Rajasthan.
After this decision, the discussion has intensified in Bihar whether it will affect the recruitment of teachers in Bihar as well. Barely weeks are left for the commencement of examination for the recruitment of 1.70 lakh teachers in Bihar. The recruitment test is going to be held for the posts of 1.70 lakh teachers in Bihar. About 7.4 lakh candidates have applied for class 1 to 5. Of these, the number of candidates with BEd degree is close to 5 lakhs.
The Supreme Court order a blow to BEd students?
The Supreme Court has given great relief to lakhs of candidates across the country, who have have had the Basic School Teaching Certificate (BSTC). A person who has the BSTC is qualified to work as an elementary or primary school teacher. The apex court gave the verdict while resolving the dispute between going on between BSTC and BEd students.
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The apex court has upheld the decision of the Rajasthan high court, which had held that only those having BTSC or DElEd holders will be eligible in level-1 of Class III teacher recruitment examination. BEd candidates will not be able to apply in level-1 from 1st to 5th class. In such a situation, this is a big blow for the BEd candidates across the country, who were aspiring to become teachers for class 1 to 5 after clearing the CTET (Central Teachers’ Eligibility Test).
So, how will Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) respond?
Commenting on the scenario arising out of the Supreme Court’s verdict, student leader Dilip Kumar says that the apex court’s decision will now be implemented in the whole country. He said that on this decision, the Bihar government and the education department should go to the Supreme Court as soon as possible and bring an order that this order should not be implemented in the ongoing recruitment drive, the process of which was initiated much before the judgement.
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Citing the time when the Right to Education Act 2010-11 was enforce, Dilip Kumar said that those recruited as teachers without passing the eligibility test were given the chance to clear the TET and the government made the arrangement to allow them time to pass the DElEd. Similarly, arrangement can be made to let the BEd qualified students to get the DElEd certificates.
The students’ leader said that there is an acute shortage of teachers in Bihar. There is a lack of quality education. The recruitment of 1.70 lakh teachers has been publicised. No vacancy for teachers of classes 6 to 8 has been notified. The vacancies for classes 9-10 and 11-12 have been notified, but there is gross mismatch in number of candidates applied for subject wise teachers and the vacancies notified for that.
What do the B Ed students demand?
If the BEd students are disallowed to participate in the recruitment test for class 1-5, the schools will not be able to get quality teachers and quality education in the schools of Bihar is stand to suffer. Now only 2 weeks are left for the exam, being conducted by the Bihar Public Services Commission (BPSC). That’s why the government should go to the Supreme Court as soon as possible and bring a special order on this matter and put an end to the confusion among the BEd students aspiring to become teachers.
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Dipankar Gaurav, State president of Bihar Elementary Youth Teachers Association demanded from the central government that an ordinance shall be brought in to allow the BEd students become teachers in the primary section as well. A total of more than 40 lakh BEd trained candidates in the country will be deprived of teaching work in primary by this decision. BEd qualified students are still doing teaching work in primary in many states. Due to the decision of the Supreme Court, everyone is facing the threat of losing their jobs.
