The Punjab and Haryana high court on Saturday restrained the Punjab education department from finalising the recruitment of 5,078 rural associate teachers advertised through a public notice on September 9.
The directions came from the bench headed by justice Tejinder Singh Dhindsa on a petition filed by Parminder Pal and three other unemployed B Ed qualified people.
Appearing for the petitioners, advocate HC Arora submitted that as per the circular issued by the National Council for Teachers Education dated February 11, 2011, a person for appointment as a teacher in any school must pass the Teachers Eligibility Test (TET) conducted by some agency appointed by the state government. Such TET has to be conducted at least once every year.
He submitted that after the TET condition came into force, the Punjab government conducted TET only once on July 3, 2011, but the petitioners could not qualify the test. However, the Punjab education department notified 5,078 posts of rural associate teachers in September this year for which passing TET is a must.
Arora sought directions to the Punjab government to conduct TET before filling up rural associate teachers' posts since a large number of people, like petitioners, who either could not qualify the July 2011 TET or who passed B Ed examination in 2012, might get a chance to apply for the posts.
{{/usCountry}}Arora sought directions to the Punjab government to conduct TET before filling up rural associate teachers' posts since a large number of people, like petitioners, who either could not qualify the July 2011 TET or who passed B Ed examination in 2012, might get a chance to apply for the posts.
{{/usCountry}}The court granted two weeks' time to the state government to file its reply. The case will come up for hearing on December 7.