Stung by the decision of Uttarakhand High Court (HC) which on Tuesday had ordered that non Teachers Eligibility Test (TET) qualified Shiksha Mitras (SM) absorbed in education department as primary teachers should be removed, the federation of SMs has decided to take the matter to the double bench of HC.
The President of Uttarakhand Federation of Shiksha Mitras, lalit Divwedi told The Pioneer that the decision of HC is very disappointing for 3652 SMs who were absorbed in the education department as assistant teachers in January 2015. He said that a similar order was earlier passed by the HC which was stayed by double bench in December 2014 following which the appointments of SMs on post of assistant teachers were made.
The SMs were appointed as ad hoc teachers in the government primary schools on a monthly stipend of Rupees 13000 in the year 2001. To get their services regularised the federation of SMs undertook a long agitation. These SMs were initiated into a special two year diploma course in elementary education by the state government from the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) in March 2009. On November 07, 2013 the then Additional Chief Secretary S Raju sought the opinion of National Council of Teacher Education (NCTE) for these teachers. The NCTE after consultation with MHRD gave green signal for absorption of SMs as assistant teachers. However the HC now has ordered that only those teachers who have cleared TET level I are eligible for being primary teachers.
It is learnt that more than 50 percent of these 3652 candidates are coming under the purview of the HC order. These non TET qualified candidates are now facing the threat of loosing their job after more than 20 months after being appointed as assistant teachers in State Government run schools.