With the National Council of Teachers’ Education (NCTE) relaxing the upgradation of academic qualification of the primary teachers, more than 40,000 primary teachers have heaved a sigh of relief. The NCTE has relaxed the academic upgradation for teachers who are graduates. The West Bengal Primary Teachers’ Association (WBPTA) has welcomed the decision.
The notification states that the primary teachers appointed after September 3, 2001, with graduation need not apply for academic enhancement. However, earlier the NCTE had notified on August 23, 2010, that primary teachers need to have 45 to 50 per cent in higher secondary (HS) examination and in case if they don’t have the percentage they would have to do the course again. This was opposed by the WBPTA, demanding relaxation for the graduate teachers.
“For those who have pursued their graduation and have been appointed from 2001 till 2012 now do not require to enrol for HS,” president of the West Bengal Board of Primary Education Manik Bhattacharya said. Further, the notification states that SC ST, PH and EC candidates, who have to upgrade their qualifications if they are not graduates, will get a relaxation of five per cent marks in comparison to others.
General secretary of Kolkata unit of WBPTA Bhimsen Biswal said: “We welcome this order, but will talk to the government regarding two provisions where it is mentioned that teachers who will retire in 2015 do not need to upgrade professionally or academically, but they will not get A category scale of pay and the second is that teachers have to bear the expenses of professional training they acquire.”