Chennai: The Madras high court has upheld an order of the TN government passed in 2009, not to treat the diploma in teacher education (D.Ed) course certificates obtained in other states as valid qualification for candidates applying for teacher posts in TN. Disposing of a batch of petitions from A. Sumia and nine others who studied D.Ed course in Karnataka in 2008-09, Justice T. Raja said the G.O. could not be applied retrospectively and directed the authorities to consider whether the certificates of D.Ed course obtained by the petitioners was equivalent or not, within two months.
R. Suresh Kumar, counsel for the petitioners, submitted that the petitioners joined the D.Ed course in 2008-09 and when they were about to write the second year examination in August 2010, they came to know that the TN government had issued a G.O. dated December 3, 2009 that evaluation certificates could be issued only to candidates who obtained a diploma in teacher education course certificates in other states in 2007-08 or before. The G.O. had been issued with retrospective effect and as a result, the petitioners were severely affected, Suresh Kumar added.
Additional advocate general S. Gomathinayagam contended that based on the national curriculum framework 2005, the TN government had revised the syllabus and the new syllabus had been introduced from 2008-09, whereas Karnataka still had the 2002 curriculum. The G.O. was issued to maintain quality of education in TN, he added. The judge said the purpose of the G.O. could not be questioned. However, as it was introduced in 2009, refusal of evaluation certificate to candidates who obtained a diploma in teacher education in other states after 2008-09 could not be accepted by the court.
