Teachers challenge unified rules

The Government Teachers Association has moved the Hyderabad High Court challenging the constitutional validity of Para 2A of the Presidential Order inserted on June 23, 2014, with effect from November 20, 1998.

The Centre inserted the provision by which nongazetted teachers working in schools of mandal and zilla parishads are integrated with non-gazetted teachers working in government schools and organised these separate categories into an integrated cadre.

The association represented by general secretary Mamidoju Veerachary and others moved the petition stating that Para 2A had far-reaching consequences as it affected the service conditions of about 40,000 teachers. He said these teachers had been serving the state for the last more than three decades.

The petitioners submitted that teaching posts in local bodies, be it mandal or zilla parishads, were not under the control of state government but under the control of local bodies.

They contended that the President had no power or jurisdiction to organise teaching posts in local bodies into local cadres.

The association told the court that by integrating the teaching posts in local bodies with those in government, the powers of the local bodies was being lost and was interfering with their functioning, thereby defeating the proclaimed purpose of the 73rd Constitutional Amendment.