PANJIM: While denying regularisation, the High Court of Bombay at Goa on Monday directed the Directorate of Education to consider primary teachers working on contract basis by granting them age relaxation if they apply for regular posts.
As many as 67 primary teachers appointed under the Goa Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (GSSA) has filed separate writ petitions in the High Court praying directions to the State government to regularise them in the government service as primary school teachers on regular basis.
The petitioner teachers were appointed as primary school teachers on contractual basis against almost 360 vacancies, which were advertised by the GSSA in June 2006.
Based upon the recommendations of the selection committee, the petitioners were appointed on contractual basis against fixed remuneration which was revised/increased from time to time. They submitted that there was no quantitative or qualitative difference between the duties discharged by the petitioners as contractual teachers and their regular counterparts i.e. the Government Primary School Teachers employed in Government Primary Schools in the State of Goa.
“While we cannot grant to the petitioners the benefit of regularisation or the other reliefs claimed in their petitions, we direct that if any of the employees, including the petitioners, engaged on a contractual basis under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, apply for and participate in the selection process for filling up posts of Government Primary School Teachers on a regular basis, then the candidatures of such persons, including the petitioners must be considered by granting them age relaxation. This is, of course, provided such persons, including the petitioners, fulfil other requirements like qualifications, etc, prescribed in the recruitment rules for regular appointments to the posts of Government Primary School Teachers,” stated the High Court order.
The Court has further directed the State government to consider the candidatures of the petitioners by granting them age relaxation. During the hearing, Advocate General Devidas Pangam also submitted that such age relaxation could be considered if the petitioners participate in the selection process for filling up the posts of Government Primary School Teachers on regular basis.
