SC directs states, UTs to complete appt of special educators within 12 weeks | Bhubaneswar News
Cuttack: The Supreme Court has directed states and Union Territories, including Odisha, to notify the number of sanctioned posts of teachers to educate children with special needs within three weeks and complete their process of appointment within 12 weeks.
SC issued the direction on March 7 on petitions filed by teachers from different states, including Odisha, who claimed to have undertaken the required training to teach children with special needs.
Highlighting the dearth of special educators, the petitioners submitted that to make Right to Education a success, it was essential to appoint qualified professionals in each school to help children with disabilities prepare for life challenges. As per the data presented before SC, there are 15,63,470 children with special needs in the country. Of them 86,689 are in Odisha.
President of Odisha Special Educator Federation for Divyang, Suryakanta Behera, said, “The state is yet to identify and sanction the required number of special educator posts. If the recruitment process is completed as per the Supreme Court’s direction, more than 9,000 unemployed special educator aspirants in the state will be benefitted.”
General secretary of the federation, Ayusman Choudhury, said, “The Supreme Court direction is expected to improve access to quality education for children with disabilities in Odisha and ensure their right to inclusive education under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016.”
In its March 7 order, the two-judge bench of Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and K Vinod Chandran said, “After the posts have been sanctioned and notified, which shall be done positively within a period of three weeks”, on or before March 28, “these posts need to be advertised at least in two newspapers having wide circulation in the respective states as well as on the website of the department of education and also on the official govt website of each of the states”.
“Let the selection and appointment be made of qualified/competent/eligible teachers only” the bench directed, adding that the process should be completed within 12 weeks, which will include 3 weeks for the sanctioned posts which have to be identified. “It is made clear that those state where posts have already been sanctioned should immediately start the selection process,” the bench added.
Taking note that in several states and UTs, ad hoc contractual teachers were imparting education and conducting classes for children with disabilities, the bench directed thems to immediately constitute a screening committee.
The bench said, “The committee in each state would comprise the state commissioner for persons with disabilities, the education secretary, and a nominee of the Rehabilitation Council of India, who is a field expert. We make it very clear that in case there is no disability commissioner available in any state, in that case only he/she shall be substituted by the legal representative or its law secretary.”
“The screening committee shall examine the case of each of the candidates who have been working on contract/daily wage basis to teach these children and those teachers who have been found to be competent/eligible and qualified to teach, shall be given the pay scale of a special teacher. The past experience of these teachers shall also be kept in mind. Further, in case of a person who was already working and teaching for the last many years, the screening committee shall also be authorized to consider relaxation of the age limit in appropriate cases,” the order further specified.
SC issued the direction on March 7 on petitions filed by teachers from different states, including Odisha, who claimed to have undertaken the required training to teach children with special needs.
Highlighting the dearth of special educators, the petitioners submitted that to make Right to Education a success, it was essential to appoint qualified professionals in each school to help children with disabilities prepare for life challenges. As per the data presented before SC, there are 15,63,470 children with special needs in the country. Of them 86,689 are in Odisha.
President of Odisha Special Educator Federation for Divyang, Suryakanta Behera, said, “The state is yet to identify and sanction the required number of special educator posts. If the recruitment process is completed as per the Supreme Court’s direction, more than 9,000 unemployed special educator aspirants in the state will be benefitted.”
General secretary of the federation, Ayusman Choudhury, said, “The Supreme Court direction is expected to improve access to quality education for children with disabilities in Odisha and ensure their right to inclusive education under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016.”
In its March 7 order, the two-judge bench of Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and K Vinod Chandran said, “After the posts have been sanctioned and notified, which shall be done positively within a period of three weeks”, on or before March 28, “these posts need to be advertised at least in two newspapers having wide circulation in the respective states as well as on the website of the department of education and also on the official govt website of each of the states”.
“Let the selection and appointment be made of qualified/competent/eligible teachers only” the bench directed, adding that the process should be completed within 12 weeks, which will include 3 weeks for the sanctioned posts which have to be identified. “It is made clear that those state where posts have already been sanctioned should immediately start the selection process,” the bench added.
Taking note that in several states and UTs, ad hoc contractual teachers were imparting education and conducting classes for children with disabilities, the bench directed thems to immediately constitute a screening committee.
The bench said, “The committee in each state would comprise the state commissioner for persons with disabilities, the education secretary, and a nominee of the Rehabilitation Council of India, who is a field expert. We make it very clear that in case there is no disability commissioner available in any state, in that case only he/she shall be substituted by the legal representative or its law secretary.”
“The screening committee shall examine the case of each of the candidates who have been working on contract/daily wage basis to teach these children and those teachers who have been found to be competent/eligible and qualified to teach, shall be given the pay scale of a special teacher. The past experience of these teachers shall also be kept in mind. Further, in case of a person who was already working and teaching for the last many years, the screening committee shall also be authorized to consider relaxation of the age limit in appropriate cases,” the order further specified.
