'B.Ed no qualification to become primary school teacher'; SC clears air

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has cleared the air reasserting that B.Ed. graduates are ineligible to become primary school teachers. The rule will come with retroactive effect from August 11, 2023, when the judgment was first announced. The court also asked the rule to be strictly followed across the country.

However, the Supreme Court also clarified that the judgment will not affect the service of primary school teachers who have already been appointed based on B.Ed qualification. A bench comprising Justices Aniruddha Bose and Sudhanshu Dhulia considered the petition filed by the Madhya Pradesh government seeking clarification and changed it to a review petition.

The court decided to approve the hitherto made appointment considering the argument of the B.Ed holders saying that they entered the job only after the authorities highlighted B.Ed as the educational qualification. The National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) issued a notification in 2018 that B.Ed candidates can also become primary school teachers. The Supreme Court upheld the judgment of the Rajasthan High Court quashing this action.

The judgment dated August 11, 2023, held that B.Ed is not a qualification to teach in classes one to five at the primary level. The petition filed by the central government challenging the judgment of the Rajasthan High Court was also quashed.

The NCTE norm demands a Diploma in Elementary Education as the essential criterion for teaching primary classes. The SC seconded this decision.

“NCTE's stand that B.Eds can also become primary school teachers is arbitrary and illogical. The students deserve qualified teachers.” said the court.