The Delhi Government has moved the Supreme Court challenging the decision of Delhi Lieutenant Governor (LG) VK Saxena to prohibit Government schoolteachers from receiving foreign training in the future.
The plea was mentioned before a Bench led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud by Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi and is listed for hearing on April 14. The issue triggered a war of words between the LG’s office and the Government, with the AAP dispensation accusing Saxena of “interfering” in the government’s work.
Singhvi, appearing for the AAP Government, mentioned the matter before a Bench headed by Chandrachud seeking an urgent hearing.
“This is concerning the teacher training program,” said Dr Singhvi, and sought urgent hearing in the matter.
“We will hear this on April 14, 2023,” the CJI Chandrachud said.
Since October last year, the LG and the AAP Government have been involved in a tussle regarding the training of government schoolteachers in foreign countries.
As per the Delhi Government, the LG was halting the process of sending teachers for training by not replying to the proposal.
On January 16, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had led Ministers, MLAs and workers of AAP to the LG’s residence demanding immediate approval of the Government’s proposal to send 30 teachers to Finland for training.
On March 4, 2023, the the LG finally approved the proposal. The L-G recently had cleared some of the teachers names for the Finland programme but mandated against such exercises in future. The LG, in its decision, has increased the number of primary in-charges, who were to proceed to Finland for training, from 52 to 87, to ensure equal representation of primary in-charges from all 29 administrative zones of the education department.
“Considering that there are about 450 schools of the Directorate of Education having primary classes, it will only be in the fitness of things that the benefits of the learning from the training are extended, to all the students of primary classes simultaneously,” the LG’s directions said.