HC stays UP govt's move to regularise 1.24 lakh temporary teachers

Updated on: Wednesday, May 25, 2011

The Allahabad High Court has stayed the Uttar Pradesh government's move to regularise more than one lakh ad hoc primary school teachers across the state, commonly referred to as 'shiksha mitras'.

Justice Krishna Murari, while passing the order on a writ petition filed by Santosh Kumar Mishra and others, asked the state government to file its counter-affidavit within six weeks following which the petitioners will be granted another four weeks' time for filing their rejoinder before the matter is taken up for further hearing.

The petitioners, all of them holders of B.Ed. or B.P.Ed (Bachelor of Physical Education) and hence qualified for direct recruitment as full-time primary school teachers, had challenged the state government's move to impart training to 1.24 'shiksha mitras' with a view to regularising them.

The state government had on January 3 submitted a proposal before the National Council for Teachers' Education at New Delhi for regularising the 'shiksha mitras' upon imparting requisite training to them.

The NCTE gave its nod to the proposal on January 14 following which the state government began the process of imparting training to the 'shiksha mitras'.

The petitioners challenged the aforesaid move in the court claiming that there were nearly six lakh B.Ed and B.P.Ed degree holders as against the 1.24 lakh 'shiksha mitras' and that the Supreme Court too has ruled that trained candidates must be given preference over untrained ones while recruiting teachers.

The petitioners had also questioned the continuance, in service, of the 'shiksha mitras' who were appointed for a period that ended in August, 2010.

HC stays UP govt's move to regularise 1.24 lakh temporary teachers

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