A person who has obtained an additional degree of one year duration in a particular subject is not entitled for promotion in any particular discipline, the Madras High Court has held.
“If one-year degree is also recognised as equivalent to three-year degree, that would sound the death knell for schools run by government,” Justice V Ramasubramanian said.
A one-year degree (dual degree or second degree), was another perversion of the system which was evolved more than a century ago as an extension programme with some objectives. “It will be interesting to note that persons who acquired such one-year degrees or open university degrees do not get employment in the private sector. It is only in government service that such persons seek appointments, promotions, incentive and increments. Therefore, these degrees are actually specially designed and tailor-made by universities for serving or aspiring government servants,” the judge said.
The judge was allowing a batch of writ petitions in which the grievance of the petitioners, Secondary Grade Teachers (SGTs), was that some other SGTs had been included in the panel for promotion as BT Assistants in the subjects in which they secured an additional degree of a duration of one year. Many of the petitioners challenged an official order dated December 18, 2008 which indicated that persons possessing a dual degree, obtained after a one-year study, could be considered for promotion.
The Judge observed that the stand taken by the authorities appeared to be wavering and not consistent throughout. He referred to a communication of the Director of Elementary Education dated July 19 this year, which supported the petitioners’ stand. The various orders reflected the merry-go-round approach of the authorities in this issue, which was of a serious consequence.
As per the UGC regulations, no student would be eligible for the award of the first degree unless he had successfully completed a three-year course. A person who had studied a degree course in a subject of a duration of three years and a person who studied a degree course in the same discipline for one year could never be considered as equals.
The judge said teacher recruitment was being made merely based on the seniority of registration in employment exchanges in the past few years. “This itself has struck at the root of quality, in the matter of selection.” The official stand in their communication of July 19, not to recognise dual degrees, was a correct and appreciable step, he said.