Tamil Nadu govt asked to recruit computer teachers based on employment exchange seniority

Ending a legal tussle over the manner of filling 652 available posts of computer instructors in government schools, the Supreme Court has said appointment to these the posts shouldbe done on the basis ofseniorityin theemployment exchangeregister.
The order would help eligible computer instructor aspirants to land teaching jobs in government schools without having to write theteacher eligibility test(TET) conducted by theTeacher Recruitment Board(TRB). Thecourt, however, said the government was free to have its own recruitment policy such as eligibility test for other vacancies existing or arising in future.The matter has its genesis in 1999 when the state took a policy decision to offer computer science as an elective for Class 11 and 12. It entrusted the matter to the Electronics Corporation ofTamil Naduwhich was to provide software, hardware and manpower for conducting classes.

The agency recruited 2,394 instructorsin two phases on contract. In 2006, thegovernment created the post of computer instructor in each of its 1,880 schools, and offered to regularize the services of instructors on contract, provided they clear a special test.The present litigation is over the 652 available computer instructor posts and 175 posts which fell vacant after some failed in tests. It also concerned the government's policy of recruiting schoolteachersonly through theTRB, and not on the basis of employment exchange seniority.However, when the Madras high court was passing orders on a petition related to the matter on August 12, 2013, the state government made a statement that the 652 posts would befilled through employment exchanges.

However, while disposing of a differentbatch of petitions related to the same issue on September 18, 2013, the courtupheld the government's decision to fill the vacancies on the basis ofTETheld by TRB.The Supreme Court, taking exception to this 'departure,' pointed out that the state government had not furnished any order cancelling its earlier orders favouring recruitment through employment exchange.