NHRC Says Its Intervention Saves Jobs of More Than Two Lakh Primary-level School Teachers

The intervention by the National Human Rights Commission has “saved jobs” of more than two lakh graduate and post-graduate upper primary-level teachers in schools of varied categories across the country, the rights panel said on Wednesday. These teachers of various government-run, government-aided and private-unaided schools did not meet the eligibility criteria of 50 per cent marks in Class 12, it said.

“As per the guidelines of the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE), the Union Ministry of Education handed over the responsibility to the NIOS (National Institute of Open School) to train these teachers by 31st March, 2019. Many teachers completed their diploma in elementary education, but NIOS did not release diploma-cum-certificates of those who did not have 50 per cent marks in 12th standard, which may have cost them their jobs,” the NHRC said in a statement. This training was required for all the untrained in-service teachers as per the amendment in the year 2017 in the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (Amendment) Act, it added.

“On receipt of a complaint in the matter, the Commission observed that the NIOS did not specify in its prospectus that eligibility criteria for in-service graduate, post-graduate teachers to do diploma in elementary education would be 50 per cent marks in 10+2,” the statement claimed. Further, the Commission asked the Ministry of Education to revisit the whole issue as it may adversely affect the right to livelihood of teachers, who are otherwise graduate or post-graduate, and have been in-service and even had cleared the requisite diploma in elementary education as per statuary requirement of the RTE Act and Rules framed there under, it said.

“Considering the recommendations of the Commission, the Union Ministry of Education, striking a balance between the statutory provisions and the right to life and livelihood, has given one-time relaxation from this norm to all those candidates, who have cleared diploma in elementary education from the National Institute of Open School (NIOS),” the statement claimed.

The intervention by the NHRC has “saved the job of more than two lakh graduate/post graduate upper primary level teachers in government/government aided and private unaided schools across the country as they did not have 50 per cent marks in 12th standard”.

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