Chhattisgarh: 2,600 terminated teachers to be absorbed in school science labs

The affected teachers, all bachelor of education qualified, were dismissed following a high court ruling that deemed BEd degrees ineligible for primary teaching positions

Raipur: Over 2,600 terminated assistant teachers will be absorbed into government school science laboratories, the Chhattisgarh government announced following a cabinet meeting chaired by chief minister Vishnu Deo Sai on Wednesday.

The terminated assistant teachers will be absorbed into government school science laboratories (Getty Images/ Representative photo)

The affected teachers, all bachelor of education (BEd) qualified, were dismissed following a high court ruling that deemed BEd degrees ineligible for primary teaching positions (Classes I–V), a statement issued by Chhattisgarh government said.

The state government initially terminated the teachers, appointed through direct recruitment in 2023, in compliance with an April 2, 2024, Chhattisgarh high court order, which followed the Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling upholding the Rajasthan High Court’s 2021 decision to invalidate the 2018 National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) notification that allowed BEd holders to teach at the primary level.

While the Supreme Court protected appointments made prior to its order, those hired afterwards were affected.

“Our government has done justice to 2,621 BEd qualified assistant teachers whose services were terminated. We’ve decided to place them in the role of assistant teacher science (Laboratory),” Sai said on social media.

The school education department is authorised to implement this decision.

The appointments will be made to non-advertised posts in school science laboratories. “Those who do not meet the required qualification of completing Class 12 in Maths/Science will be granted three years to complete it. They will also undergo a two-month lab training course conducted by the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT),” an official said.

“As part of the deployment plan, priority will be given to vacant posts in scheduled area districts, followed by border districts, and then others,” the official added.

The affected teachers had staged widespread protests demanding reinstatement, following which the state government formed a high-level committee led by the chief secretary to explore alternatives.