B.Ed Ineligibility for Primary School Teacher Posts Judgment to Apply Pan-India, Says Supreme Court

The Supreme Court on Monday, April 8, clarified that its August 2023 judgment declaring B.Ed. degree holders ineligible for appointment as primary school teachers will apply prospectively. Further this judgment applied pan India not of state of MP on whose application such clarification has been given.

The apex court further said that the advertisement specified B.Ed. as a qualification, and services shall not be disturbed. Meanwhile, in August 2023, the apex court upheld the Rajasthan High Court’s ruling that holders of a Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) degree are not qualified for primary school teaching positions. 

Supreme Court clarifies that its judgment holding that Bachelor of Education (B.Ed) candidates are ineligible to hold primary school teacher posts is prospective in nature, and applicable to the entire country.#SupremeCourtpic.twitter.com/D00QVHdI1I

— Bar and Bench (@barandbench) April 8, 2024

The bench comprising Justice Aniruddha Bose and Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia emphasized that the constitutional right to primary education in India entails not just free and compulsory education for children under 14 but also mandates the provision of quality education. 

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The Supreme Court found that B.Ed. degree holders lack the essential pedagogical training for teaching at the primary level, thereby potentially compromising the quality of education for young learners.