HYDERABAD: The state government is contemplating to go in for an appeal to the Supreme Court over the High Court’s direction that those who have had their education in the Telugu medium too be considered for recruitment as teachers in model schools.
Teacher aspirants, who had their education in Telugu medium, moved the High Court after the state government had laid down that only those who had completed their qualifying examinations in English medium were eligible to apply since the teachers to be recruited were expected to teach in English medium.
The model schools coming up in the state are meant for poor students who want to study in English medium.
The government issued a notification to fill 7,100 posts _ 355 principals, 4,615 postgraduate teachers (PGT) and 2,130 trained graduate teachers (TGT) _ in the first week of February this year.
The selected candidates will be posted at 355 English-medium model schools to be set up across the state.
In the notification school education department officials divided the total education of candidates into four parts _ school education, Intermediate education, graduation and post-graduation.
Candidates who have studied three of the above four parts in English medium are eligible to apply for principal post.
Those who studied two of the first three in English medium are eligible to compete for PGT and TGT posts.
Opposing government’s decision, qualified BEd candidates launched a protests demanding that they be allowed to compete for the jobs irrespective of their medium of study as the government would anyway test their knowledge of English in the selection examination.
As officials refused to budge, some candidates went to the High Court seeking direction to the government to allow them to sit for model school selection examination.
Giving its verdict in favour of B.Ed candidates on March 22, the High Court directed the government to allow them to sit for the examination irrespective of the medium of study of the candidates.
Ever since the government has been contemplating whether to challenge the High Court’s order in the Supreme Court or to follow the High Court ruling and allow all candidates to sit for the examination.
Speaking to Express, principal secretary (secondary education) Rajeshwar Tiwari said they would discuss with the additional advocate- general before taking a final call on the issue on Monday.
Director and commissioner of school education N Sivashankar briefed the principal secretary on the whole issue as Tiwari took charge of the department only recently.
Meanwhile, State BEd Candidates Association president Alavala Madhusudan has renewed his appeal to the government to allow the candidates to compete for model school teaching jobs irrespective of their medium of study as directed by the Court.
The school education department can test their ability to teach and knowledge of the subject in the written examination.
If it decided to go to the Supreme Court, it would further delay establishment of model schools, he said.