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Friday, November 8, 2013

HRDD agrees in principle to demands of adhoc teachers

GANGTOK, 07 Nov: The Human Resource Development Department has agreed in principle to the demands placed by ad-hoc teachers of the state.
In a press statement issued today HRDD has said that the demand of ad-hoc teachers that the yearly appointment system be removed “is being considered by the government for implementation and is already in process”.
The department states that teacher appointment for primary and upper primary levels is governed by the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act 2009 (RTE Act 2009).
This Act was enacted by the Parliament in order to give expression to the fundamental right of children to free and compulsory education introduced as Article 21A in the Indian Constitution through the eighty-sixth amendment of the Constitution. Under this Act, the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) was authorised to prescribe the minimum qualification for appointment of teacher. The NCTE has prescribed the Teacher Eligibility Test as mandatory for appointment of teachers at primary and upper primary level. This norm has been prescribed by the NCTE to ensure quality education uniformly throughout the country. Under the RTE Act 2009 a teacher who at the commencement of the Act (which came into force everywhere in India from 1.4.2010) did not possess minimum qualification for getting appointed as a teacher was required to acquire the minimum qualification within five years. Minimum qualifications include passing of Bachelor of Education or Diploma in Elementary Education for the different levels of teachers.
On the basis of the above, HRDD has said that the possibility of allowing ad-hoc teachers who do not possess these qualifications to conditionally appear for the Teacher Eligibility Test “is being explored”.
As provided in Section 23 (2) of the RTE Act 2009, only the Central Government has the power to relax the minimum qualifications prescribed for Teacher Eligibility Test. This relaxation will give time to teachers to complete their B.Ed or Diploma in Elementary Education, as the case may be, and enable them to appear for the Teacher Eligibility Test conditionally, it is added.
Regarding the demand for regularization, HRDD has said that it “is to be seen in the light of the provisions of law relating to this”.
It may be mentioned here that ad-hoc teachers have been on a pen-down strike and indefinite hunger strike for around a fortnight now. All Sikkim Ad-hoc teachers had also taken out a rally on Wednesday in the capital.

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