HC pulls up govt for delay in appointment of school teachers

Ranchi: The Jharkhand high court on Wednesday pulled up the state govt for the delay in appointment of teachers in govt schools. The high court directed the govt to speed up the appointment of 26,000 additional teachers at the primary and upper-primary levels in govt schools.

A bench of Chief Justice M S Ramachandra Rao and Justice Rajesh Shankar were hearing a PIL filed by Jean Dreze on lack of teachers in govt schools. Department of school education secretary Umashankar Singh was also present in the court for the hearing.

The Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC) affidavit, submitted on April 11, revealed that some examinations were still due. According to the time frame proposed in this affidavit, it would take until Jan 2026 to appoint teachers.

The court expressed its dissatisfaction on the lackadaisical approach of the govt in appointment of teachers.

The bench observed that the department of school education and literacy is rather going slow. The HC ordered the govt to shorten the proposed time frame and ensure that teachers are appointed within two or three months, so that children can receive good education in the forthcoming academic year itself.

Dreze had filed the writ petition filed last year, drawing attention to the shortage of teachers in primary and upper-primary schools in Jharkhand. The petition prays for compliance with the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act 2009 in this regard.

According to the Act, at least two teachers in every school, and at least one teacher for every 30 children is mandatory. In blatant violation of these norms, Jharkhand has more than 8,000 single-teacher schools, and severe teacher shortages in other schools as well, the petition said.

On April 8, the department of school education and literacy informed the court that 26,000 teachers would soon be appointed "in a fair, transparent and time-bound manner", and that all relevant examinations had been conducted for this purpose. The court had then directed the (JSSC) to submit a more specific time frame within which the appointments will be made. The case will again be heard on April 23.