Where is the legal issue involved in the recruitment of 69000 teachers? From BEd vs BTC controversy to reservation pages

The much talked about recruitment of 69 thousand assistant teachers (69000 Shikshak Bharti) in primary schools of Uttar Pradesh is once again in the headlines. This journey, which started in the year 2019, is still entangled in the whirlpool of legal maneuvers, court battles and administrative complications. Sometimes the dispute over the eligibility of BEd vs BTC (BEd vs BTC / D.El.Ed) and sometimes allegations of irregularities in the rules of reservation and merit calculation have made this recruitment a never-ending puzzle. Let us understand in a sequential manner what has happened so far in this entire selection process and at what point the matter stands at present.

Old dispute of B.Ed vs BTC and merit

This entire recruitment process started with the written examination for 69,000 vacant posts, the controversies started soon after the results came out. On one hand, while the students with BTC and D.El.Ed qualifications were based on the set standards and special training for primary education, on the other hand, a legal dispute broke out between the two parties after B.Ed degree holders were also included in it. Apart from this, the students raised their voice on a large scale regarding the adherence to the rules of reservation and cutoff marks in the selection list, after which the matter reached the threshold from Allahabad High Court to the Supreme Court.

Reservation discrepancies and court decisions

During the recruitment process, reserved category candidates alleged that the quota for OBC and SC categories was not properly followed as per the rules, due to which eligible candidates were deprived of their rights. After a long hearing on this issue, instructions were given several times at the courts and administrative level to re-evaluate the lists and prepare new selection lists. Due to this ongoing tussle on the legal front, the process of appointment and adjustment of selected teachers has been repeatedly disrupted, due to which thousands of candidates are forced to go through a period of mental stress and uncertainty.

Candidates’ struggle and the way forward

These candidates, who have been protesting on the streets and doing legal advocacy for the last several years in the hope of justice, now have their eyes completely fixed on the upcoming decisions of the Supreme Court and the High Court. Every time new dates and increasing dates in the name of hearing are testing the expectations of the students. There is a big challenge before the Education Department and the Government to find a transparent and final solution to this complex legal issue, so that the primary schools of Uttar Pradesh can get their permanent teachers and this dispute that has been going on for years can stop forever.