Allahabad HC upholds graduation requirement for assistant teacher eligibility

The Allahabad High Court has upheld the Uttar Pradesh government’s decision requiring candidates for assistant teacher posts in recognized junior high schools to hold a graduation degree along with a state or NCTE-recognized teacher training qualification.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice Arun Bhansali and Justice Kshitij Shailendra passed the ruling while allowing a state government appeal that challenged a single-judge order from Sept 24, 2024.

The earlier order had quashed Clause 4 of the government order dated Sept 9, 2024, which prescribed the minimum qualification standards for assistant teacher appointments.

The single-judge bench had sided with petitioners led by Yashank Khandelwal, who argued that candidates with an intermediate-level qualification should be eligible to pursue the two-year Diploma in Elementary Education (DEl Ed) or Basic Training Certificate (BTC) course.

The petitioners had also sought to strike down the clause that made a graduation degree mandatory for admission to these teacher training programs.

After reviewing the case, the division bench observed that the state government’s policy aligns with long-standing regulations and is consistent with the Rules of 1981.

It said that the law clearly intends for those teaching children from Classes I to VIII to possess a graduate-level education before undergoing training.

“Therefore, if the State Government, in every Government Order, right from 1998 till today, has prescribed graduation as the minimum qualification for taking admission in the BTC/DEl Ed course, the same being in consonance with the Rules of 1981 and not said to be an arbitrary provision,” the court said.

The bench emphasized that teacher training has been given due importance under the legal framework, reinforcing the idea that educational standards must remain high for those entering the teaching profession.

With these findings, the High Court set aside the single-judge ruling and dismissed the writ petition filed by the respondents, thereby restoring the government order prescribing graduation as a mandatory qualification for assistant teacher training and appointments.