Experts sceptical on Javadekar plan

School teachers’ who do not have the minimum qualification mandated under the Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009, will not be allowed to continue in service after April 1, 2019, Union HRD minister Prakash Javadekar said recently.

Mr Javadekar stated that teachers who don’t have the minimum qualifications but are teaching in classes one to eight under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan programme are being given a last chance to become qualified in the next two years.

In a video conference, Mr Javadekar also ordered all state education ministers to begin taking action against teachers who do not register with the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) portal by September 15.

Educationists in the state say it is impossible to train such a huge number of teachers in such a short period of time.

Nagati Narayana, education activist, says that in Telangana state, out of 2.5 lakh teachers working in private schools, nearly 1.8 lakh are untrained.

“As per Mr Javadekar’s deadline, teachers must finish their training by March 31, 2019, for which only 17 months are left. Course duration of D.Ed and B.Ed courses is minimum two years. So is it possible to finish two years training in 17 months?,” he asked.

He adds that even if teachers leave their jobs in order to undergo the training, “after acquiring it, is there any guarantee that they can resume their jobs in the same school? HRD minister Prakash Javdekar’s proposal is not practical.”