New Delhi: With huge shortage of teachers
posing a big challenge to implement the Right To Education
(RTE) Act, the Centre may allow states to relax the minimum
qualification rules for teaching job in schools.
As per the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory
Education Rules 2010, which has been notified by the
government for Union Territories, the Centre can relax the
prescribed minimum qualification rules for teachers if it is
convinced that states do not have the required number of
qualified persons.
As per the rules, the Central government will notify an
academic authority for laying down the minimum qualification
for a person to be eligible for appointment as teachers.
The minimum qualification prescribed by the academic
authority will be followed by all elementary schools, the
rules said.
However, the Centre can give relaxation in certain cases
where the states do not have adequate institutions offering
courses or training in teacher education or persons possessing
minimum qualifications are not available in sufficient
numbers, the rules said.
In such cases, the state governments or UTs will have to
request the Centre within one year of the commencement of the
Act for relaxation of the prescribed minimum qualification.
"On receipt of the request, the Central government shall
examine the request of the state government or the Union
Territory and may, by notification, relax the minimum
qualification," the rules said.
There is a shortage of nearly five lakh teachers while
there are about three are about 7.6 lakh untrained teachers at
elementary stage.
The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education
Act, which came into effect from April one, says there should
be one teacher for every 30 students at elementary level.
As per this norm, there is a requirement for 1.5 lakh
teachers in Uttar Pradesh, followed by Bihar and Gujarat (0.5
to one lakh each).
Persons appointed as teachers without possessing minimum
qualification will have to get the qualification within five
years of the commencement of Act, the rules said.
PTI
