New Delhi: In a landmark decision, the Supreme Court of India has reaffirmed that a Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) degree is not a valid qualification for primary school teachers. The court upheld that the essential qualification for such appointments is a Diploma in Elementary Education (D.El.Ed.).
The ruling came as the Supreme Court upheld a previous judgment by the Chhattisgarh High Court, which had quashed the appointments of B.Ed. degree holders as primary school teachers. The bench, comprising Justice Aniruddha Bose and Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia, emphasized that the fundamental right to primary education in India, as guaranteed under Article 21A of the Indian Constitution and the Right to Education Act, 2009, includes not only free and compulsory education but also quality education.
The court noted that B.Ed. degree holders do not meet the basic pedagogical requirements necessary for teaching primary school children, thus failing to provide the quality education mandated by law. This decision aligns with the court’s previous ruling in the case of Devesh Sharma vs. Union of India (2023), where it was determined that the 2018 notification by the National Council for Teacher Education, which allowed B.Ed. candidates to be eligible for primary school teaching, was invalid.
However, the Supreme Court clarified that its decision would apply prospectively. B.Ed. teachers who were appointed before August 11, 2023, will not be affected by this ruling.
This decision has significant implications for the recruitment of primary school teachers across the country. In response to the ruling, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Majhi announced the recruitment of 16,010 junior teachers within the next three weeks, as part of a larger initiative to hire 27,197 teachers in the state.
The Supreme Court’s decision underscores the importance of specialized training for primary school teachers to ensure that young students receive the highest quality education from the outset of their academic journey.
