T’puram:The state govt has decided to grant conditional approval for the regularisation of the postings of around 20,000 teachers in aided schools. The regularisation of teachers appointed since 2021 had remained in limbo following a Supreme Court verdict related to the failure of school managements to fill posts reserved for persons with disabilities. General education minister V Sivankutty said on Wednesday that the govt had decided to approve the postings, subject to the outcome of cases pending before the Supreme Court.He said the decision was based on recent legal advice that the approval granted by the Supreme Court to the NSS for appointments made in general category seats could be extended to other aided school managements as well. As per the court order, appointments made in general category seats in NSS schools were to be regularised by the state govt, provided the managements set aside the legally mandated number of posts for persons with disabilities under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016. Other aided school managements, including Christian managements, had sought similar relaxation earlier. However, the govt had maintained that such managements should obtain separate approval from the Supreme Court.Sivankutty said the initial legal opinion received by the govt did not support extending the benefit of the SC order to other managements, even if they complied with the mandatory reservation for persons with disabilities. However, the latest legal advice suggests that the govt may proceed with regularising the appointments, subject to the apex court’s final verdict. At the same time, the legal opinion advised against regularising the appointments of 442 teachers whose petitions are currently pending before the SC, in order to avoid contempt of court. The minister said the regularisation process would be completed within a fortnight and that the govt would ensure the teachers receive service benefits with retrospective effect.Two-year K-TET extension for teachers: The state govt decided to grant two more years to school teachers who did not yet pass the Kerala Teacher Eligibility Test (K-TET) examination, which is mandatory as per the provisions of the Right to Education Act. Teachers who obtained NET, SET, MPhil, or PhD will get two more years to pass the K-TET exam. This relaxation would be available only to those who got appointments before Sept 1, 2025.
