Hyderabad: In a significant decision, the Telangana Education Department has approved the recruitment of Diploma in Elementary Education (DEd) candidates to fill the Secondary Grade Teacher (SGT) vacancies.
A Government Order (GO) to this effect is expected to be issued within the next one or two days. Consequently, candidates with a Bachelor of Education (B.Ed) qualification will now exclusively compete for School Assistant (SA) vacancies.
The backdrop to this decision can be traced back to 2018 when the National Council of Teacher Education (NCTE) took the decision to make B.Ed-qualified candidates eligible for SGT vacancies.
However, the state of Rajasthan raised concerns about teacher appointments, leading to the matter being brought before the Supreme Court. Subsequently, the Supreme Court bench reviewed the case and issued an order for the recruitment of DEd-qualified candidates to fill teacher vacancies in primary schools.
This order was documented and made available on the National Council of Teacher Education’s website.
The Supreme Court’s directive is set to have nationwide implications. Recently, the state government of Telangana resolved to fill 6,612 teacher vacancies, including 2,575 SGT positions.
Previously, the appointment of D.Ed candidates on SGT vacancies had been in effect. However, the rules were later amended, and in 2018, the NCTE issued a gazette providing an opportunity for B.Ed candidates to apply. As a result, teacher appointments in the state were put on hold, preventing B.Ed candidates from qualifying for SGT positions.
Citing the NSTE Gazette, Bihar issued a notification allowing B.Ed candidates to apply for vacancies as primary school teachers.
The Supreme Court, however, ruled against implementing Bihar’s notification. Consequently, the Telangana government has opted to appoint DEd candidates to fill the SGT vacancies. This decision marks a significant shift in teacher recruitment in the state.
