Candidates applying for JBT posts to move High Court

Naina Mishra
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, October 17

Candidates applying the posts of JBT have decided to move the High Court against the Education Department for not diluting the Central Teacher Eligibility Test (CTET) pass eligibility condition.

The UT Education Department on October 3 had advertised 418 posts of Junior Basic Teacher (JBT) on the condition that the candidates must have passed the CTET in accordance with the guidelines framed by the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE).

The candidates had earlier submitted their representation to Education Secretary and Director of School Education (DSE) requesting the department to allow the candidates to apply for the posts, who had not appeared for the CTET, on a provisional basis. They cited that the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) had not conducted the CTET since 2016 and hence, they did not get the opportunity to appear for it.

DSE Rupinderjit Singh Brar had earlier told Chandigarh Tribune that the case of diluting the CTET pass clause in the post advertisement was under scrutiny. However, on Tuesday the Education Secretary, BL Sharma, ruled out the possibility of dilution of such clause.

Confirming his stance, Sharma said, “No dilution of the CTET clause shall take place. Candidates should be in possession of prescribed qualification on the crucial date notified in the advertisement.”

A similar case cropped up recently in the advertisement for the post of primary teacher by the Delhi Subordinate Services Selection Board (DSSSB). One of the eligibility criteria was that the candidates must have passed the CTET. The candidates claimed to have possessed all essential qualification, except for the CTET.

The Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), Delhi, thus directed the board to allow applicants to participate in the selection process by stating that the candidates’ rights could not be defeated on account of not holding the CTET.

The Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS) in its revised notification also allowed candidates who are otherwise eligible and are appearing for the CTET 2018. It was subjected to a condition that candidates shall have to clear the exam being conducted by the CBSE.

Arvind Rana, president of the All-India SSA RMSA Association, said, “By denying candidates who have not possessed the CTET qualification, the Education Department have denied the right to equality as guaranteed under Article 16 of the Constitution. The DSSSB has also revised the advertisement by allowing applicants to apply provisionally. We have two strong examples from the KVS and DSSSB to make our case string in the court. When the NCTE was established, it was decided that the CTET would be conducted twice a year. It was later decided that the CBSE will conduct the CTET once a year. However, no CTET was conducted since 2016.”