Govt move to depute senior teachers to KG upheld

Observing that teachers are like gods and they cannot question every decision taken by the Government especially those in the interest of children belonging to economically weaker sections, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has dismissed a batch of writ petitions seeking to forbear the deployment of excessive secondary grade teachers from the Elementary Education Department to Social Welfare Department for teaching LKG/UKG students in Anganwadi Centres.

Setting aside the contention made by teachers’ bodies as well as individual teachers that secondary grade teachers are not qualified to teach Kindergarten children and the move amounts to their degradation in status, a division bench comprising Justice N Kirubakaran and Justice S S Sundar, said “While taking steps to provide free and quality education from Kindergarten, the Government has got every right to utilize the services of surplus teachers constructively instead of going for fresh recruitment spending huge amounts.”

“About 5934 secondary grade teachers posts in aided primary/middle schools and 1979 posts secondary grade teachers in Panchayat Union, Government, Municipal Primary and Middle Schools have been rendered surplus and the Government is incurring about Rs 37 crores per month and Rs 445 crores per annum towards salary to surplus teachers,” the Bench said along with holding that the Government while taking care of the educational needs of the poor sections of the society, equally justified to consider the Government Exchequer as well.

Also, noting that in Tamil Nadu as many as 54,439 Anganwadi Centres have been established and in 2,381 such centres located within the premises of Government Middle Schools, the State Government has decided to introduce LKG and UKG classes for 52,933 children, the Bench said “The decision taken by the Government is only to see that the children of poor sections of the Society are also given Montessori based education and prevent economically weaker sections of the society from admitting their children in private schools by spending huge amounts.”

Observing that this Court is duty bound to appreciate and laud the Government for providing free and compulsory education not only at the school level but also at the KG level itself, the Bench lamented on the aspect that it has become a fashion for Government teachers who are paid handsome salary to rush to the Court for every decision taken by the government.

However, the Bench also recorded the Government submission that such secondary grade teachers need not worry about reduction in rank or status as they would be governed by Elementary Education Department only and there is no merger. Their service conditions will not be disturbed, and seniority will be maintained only in the parent Panchayat Union Block.

Vacating the interim stay granted against the Government, the Bench in its order also held “It is open to the Government to introduce a bridge course and give proper training to secondary grade teachers for six months and empower them to impart Montessori based education to Kindergarten students simultaneously while employing them as Montessori teachers.”