Not enough initiative in teacher hiring: HC

TT, Calcutta, Aug. 16: A Calcutta High Court judge today criticised the education department for "not taking enough initiative to complete the process of recruiting teachers" to primary schools.

Justice C.S. Karnan directed the department to produce on Thursday a copy of the letter it has written to the Union government requesting it for permission to allow it to recruit untrained candidates for one more year.

"Why is the education department not taking enough initiative to complete the process of recruiting teachers in primary schools?" asked Justice Karnan.

The judge was hearing a petition moved by some trained candidates - those who have obtained certificates from either Primary Teachers' Training Institutes (PTTI) or obtained the DLEd degree.

The petitioners said that earlier too the state government had sought time from the Centre and the deadline to stop recruiting untrained teachers ended on March 31.

The petition was moved on August 3 after Justice Karnan ordered status quo on the recruitment of primary school teachers, saying that although the government can declare the results of the eligibility test held in 2015, it will not be able to hire people.

The last Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) was held at the primary level in October 2015. There were around 30,000 vacancies and close to 20 lakh candidates had taken the exam. However, recruitments could not be made because of court cases alleging irregularities and a question paper leak.

There are around 59,000 state-aided primary schools in Bengal and the last time recruitments were made to them was on March 31, 2013. Around half of the 35,000-odd vacancies could be filled because 18,000 candidates qualified. Around 17,000 were selected after interviews, of which more than 50 per cent were untrained.

In 2010, the Union human resource development ministry issued a directive saying the TET must be held in keeping with the guidelines of the National Council for Teachers' Education (NCTE), the apex body that regulates teachers' training across the country.

The NCTE guidelines make it mandatory for candidates to have the DLEd or the PTTI degree to apply for a primary teacher's job. The NCTE had given a relaxation to Bengal till March 31, 2016, and allowed the government to recruit untrained candidates.

During today's hearing, government counsel Soumen Dutta informed the judge that the education department had written to the Centre seeking one more year's time to allow it to recruit untrained teachers.

When Justice Karnan asked the lawyer to produce the copy of the letter, he failed to do so.

Justice Karnan said: "Why are you delaying in furnishing the copy of the letter to the court?" The judge asked the lawyer to produce the copy of the letter before him on August 18.