No teachers as PAs to VIPs: Supreme Court

Hyderabad: The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked the state governments of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana state to take immediate steps to relieve the teachers working on deputation as personal secretaries and private assistants to ministers, MPs and MLAs and post them to the schools concerned.

The bench made it clear that providing basic amenities in schools and implementation of the Right to Education Act was the responsibility of the state governments.

A two-member bench comprising Justices Deepak Mishra and Nagappan was dealing with petitions seeking to direct the AP and TS governments to take steps for filling up teachers’ vacancies in government schools and also provide basic amenities in schools.

State wants 4 months to hire teachers
The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked the state governments of AP and Telangana state to take steps to relieve the teachers working on deputation in peshis and post them to the schools concerned.

Mr Ashok Gupta, amicus curiae in the case, while submitting a report with regard to facilities in government schools, stated that during their visit to the schools it had came to their notice that a number of government teachers were working as PS and PAs to ministers, MPs and MLAs in both states. It was also noticed that parents of students in rural areas had shown interest in English education.

The Federation of Parents informed the court that more than 90 per cent of supervisory cadre posts were vacant in the education department of TS.

Counsel appearing for TS urged the court to grant four months to fill teachers’ vacancies in government schools.

The bench asked counsels appearing for both the states to file affidavits through their respective Chief Secretaries in four weeks explaining the vacancy position and also steps being taken to fill up the vacancies and also for providing basic amenities in schools.