SC paves way for appointment of 69,000 assistant teachers in UP

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 18

The Supreme Court on Wednesday paved the way for appointment of 69,000 assistant basic teachers in Uttar Pradesh on the basis of the results of the Assistant Teacher Recruitment Examination 2019 declared in May 2020.

A Bench headed by Justice UU Lalit dismissed petitions filed by the ‘Uttar Pradesh Prathmik Shiksha Mitra Association’ and others challenging the Allahabad High Court’s decision upholding the cut off marks for selection of assistant basic teachers.

The petitioners, including some individual ‘Shiksha Mitras’ had challenged the UP government’s January 7, 2019 order fixing the qualifying marks for selection of Assistant Teachers at 65 and 60 for general and reserved categories, respectively.

As conceded by the state government, the top court said a ‘Shiksha Mitra’—who had been unable to qualify the test—would be given another chance in the next selection.

The petitioners had challenged the May 6 decision of the Lucknow Bench of Allahabad High Court which had directed the state government to complete the process in three months.

On July 25, 2017, the top court had asked the state government to cancel the recruitment of 1,37, 517 teachers to the post of TET Assistant Teacher but give them the benefit of experience in two recruitments. On January 17, 2018, the state government issued orders for written examination for the assistant teachers’ posts to select 69,000 assistant teachers.

During the hearing, the top court had asked the UP government to explain as to why it changed the earlier criteria of 45% cut-off marks for general category and 40% cut-off marks for reserved category.

The state government had justified the increase in cut-off marks, saying it was aimed at attracting the best talent.