RTE challenge: Govt may relax qualification norms for teachers

As per the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Rules 2010, which has been notified by the government for Union Territories, the Centre can relax the prescribed minimum qualification rules for teachers if it is convinced that states do not have the required number of qualified persons.

As per the rules, the Central government will notify an academic authority for laying down the minimum qualification for a person to be eligible for appointment as teachers.
The minimum qualification prescribed by the academic authority will be followed by all elementary schools, the rules said.

However, the Centre can give relaxation in certain cases where the states do not have adequate institutions offering courses or training in teacher education or persons possessing minimum qualifications are not available in sufficient numbers, the rules said.

In such cases, the state governments or UTs will have to request the Centre within one year of the commencement of the Act for relaxation of the prescribed minimum qualification. "On receipt of the request, the Central government shall examine the request of the state government or the Union Territory and may, by notification, relax the minimum qualification," the rules said.

There is a shortage of nearly five lakh teachers while there are about three are about 7.6 lakh untrained teachers at elementary stage.

The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, which came into effect from April one, says there should be one teacher for every 30 students at elementary level.

As per this norm, there is a requirement for 1.5 lakh teachers in Uttar Pradesh, followed by Bihar and Gujarat (0.5 to one lakh each). Persons appointed as teachers without possessing minimum qualification will have to get the qualification within five years of the commencement of Act, the rules said.