SC lists Delhi government’s plea on teacher training for April 14
The plea sought direction to set aside the order passed by the LG on March 4, and affirm the proposal of the Delhi government’s State Council of Educational Research and Training (SECRT) to send primary teachers at government schools abroad for training
The Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to hear the Delhi government’s petition against lieutenant governor VK Saxena’s mandate prohibiting government school teachers from receiving foreign training in the future on April 14.
Chief Justice of India Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud listed the matter for a hearing following a request made by senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi on behlaf of the Aam Aadmi Party government.
“LG is now deciding which teachers to send, how to send them, and when to send them for teachers’ training programmes. He has also said that no such proposals will be entertained in the future,” said Singhvi, after which the CJI assigned the matter for hearing on April 14.
Recently, sending government school teachers for training in Finland became yet another flashpoint between the AAP government and the LG.
The plea sought direction to set aside the order passed by the LG on March 4, and affirm the proposal of the Delhi government’s State Council of Educational Research and Training (SECRT) to send primary teachers at government schools abroad for training.
On January 16, chief minister Kejriwal led ministers, MLAs and workers of the AAP to the LG’s residence demanding immediate approval of the government’s proposal to send 30 teachers to Finland.
On March 4, the LG cleared the names of some teachers but mandated against such exercises in future.
Challenging Saxena’s mandate, the petition said that even though the proposal was first submitted to the LG in October 2022, it was only approved on March 4, 2023, subject to several amendments and conditions, rendering the proposal infructuous.
“While granting the approval, the LG said that the trained teachers trained shall only become trainers in India and that in future, there was no need for such training programmes to be conducted abroad. He said they should be conducted within India. In this context, the petitioner (Delhi government) is seeking a re-declaration of the well-settled position of law that the governor is bound to act on the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers and has no independent decision-making power,” said the petition.
