Application and eligibility criteria: Patna HC seeks reply from education department

PATNA: The recruitment process for around 94000 teachers in primary sections of government schools across state landed in legal battle after Patna high court on Wednesday sought reply from education department that if it could change criteria and eligibility for making application even after publication of advertisement for initiating recruitment.
A bench of Justice Anil Kumar Upadhyay ordered that department may continue selection process but no appointment shall be made.
High court was hearing a writ petition filed by Neeraj Kumar and 70 others in which they had challenged education department’s decision of barring candidates who had passed central teacher eligibility test (CTET) in December 2019 to apply against recruitment process for appointing primary section teachers in an order issued on June 15 this year even when it had allowed them earlier is recruitment advertisement.
The court fixed September 4 for next hearing on the matter before which department would have to file its specific reply.
In the writ petition, high court had been urged that concerned authorities be directed to accept application of petitioners who had passed CTET examination on December 27, 2019 for teachers’ appointment process and that the education department can’t change selection criteria and eligibility for appointment during selection process.
Counsel Dinu Kumar, assisted by Ritika Rani had appeared for petitioners in the case during hearing. “Recruitment process is for appointing around 94000 teachers for class-I to class-VIII,” Kumar said.
On June 8 this year, education department had advertised for recruitment process to appoint teachers across state with conditions that application would be sought from those candidates who had successfully cleared TET, CTET and 18 months D.ELed course run by National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS).
The time period for applying was June 15 to July 14. Merit list was scheduled to be published by July 23 and appointment letter was to be issued on August 31 after certificate scrutiny.
However on June 15, department issued another order with one of a clause that the cut-off date for having required educational and training eligibility to make application is November 23, 2019 and opportunity to make application had been provided only to successful candidates of D.ELed course. Department had also clarified in the same clause that candidates clearing CTET in December 2019 were not allowed to take part against the recruitment process advertised on June 8.