SC quashes NCTE order, BEd graduates protest on X (Twitter)

The Supreme Court of India (SC) has quashed the order of the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) making a Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) degree the minimum qualification for teachers in primary schools. The Court ruled that the NCTE does not have the power to make such a decision, as it is a regulatory body and not a policy-making body. The Court also said that the Right to Education Act (RTE Act) does not specify B.Ed. as the minimum qualification for primary school teachers.

The decision led to a protest by many students who said this is an injustice and demanded the central government to bring an ordinance.
Aditya R Diwakar tweets (rebranded as X), “We believed in government but both @EduMinOfIndia and @ncteDelhi have “fooled us” and could not convince the Supreme Court judges that B.Ed degree holders possess all the qualities and have studied all the syllabus required for teaching in primary schools.”

We believed in government but both @EduMinOfIndia and @ncteDelhi have “fooled us” and could not convince the Supreme Court judges that B.Ed degree holders possess all the qualities and have studied all the syllabus required for teaching in primary schools #BEDWantOrdinancePRT pic.twitter.com/C5RpHf3laq
— Aditya R Diwakar (@aditya_diwakar) August 22, 2023

However, The Court’s decision has been welcomed by many educationists and parents, who have argued that B.Ed. is not a suitable qualification for primary school teachers. They say that B.Ed. is more focused on teaching secondary and higher secondary students, and that primary school teachers need to have a different set of skills and knowledge.

The Court’s decision has also created some uncertainty, as it is not clear what the new qualification requirements will be for primary school teachers. The government is expected to issue new guidelines in the near future.

The NCTE has said that it will continue to follow the Supreme Court’s decision and that it will work with the government to develop new guidelines for the qualification of primary school teachers.

The NCTE had issued the order in 2018, following a recommendation by the Ministry of Human Resource Development. The Ministry had argued that a B.Ed. degree would improve the quality of education in primary schools. However, the Supreme Court found that the Ministry’s recommendation was not based on any evidence and that it was not in the best interests of children.

The Supreme Court’s decision is a victory for educationists and parents who have been arguing for a long time that B.Ed. is not the right qualification for primary school teachers. It is also a setback for the government, which had been pushing for a B.Ed. requirement for primary school teachers.

The government is now expected to issue new guidelines for the qualification of primary school teachers. These guidelines will need to be based on evidence and take into account the best interests of children.