Chhattisgarh HC Directs State Govt To Specify Steps Taken For Posting Of Teachers In Govt Schools With Minimal Or No Staff

A bench of Chief Justice Ramesh Sinha and Justice Bibhu Datta Guru sought the details while initiating a suo moto Public interest litigation regarding the alleged misbehaviour of the District Education Officer, Rajnadngaon, with certain protesting students.

The suo moto PIL has been initiated over a news report/clipping that stated the DEO threatened Class 12^th students with jail for demanding the posting of teachers in their schools.

According to the news report, those students had passed Class 11 without any teachers, but as they entered Class 12th, they expressed concerns about how they would succeed in the board examination without teachers in their schools.

The protesting students' primary concern was that their school, which was earlier a High School, had been upgraded to a higher secondary school; however, the same High School teachers were now teaching the higher secondary classes.

According to the news report, the mathematics teacher was assigned to teach physics at the school concerned. This prompted the students to meet the Rajnandgaon Collector, who assured them that arrangements for posting teachers would be made.

The students were also advised to approach the District Education Officer (DEO) with their grievance; however, when the students visited the DEO's office with their application, the DEO reportedly threatened them, questioned them as to who had taught them to write such applications, and then allegedly drove them out of his office.

In its order, the Court also considered the DEO's version, in which he claimed that he did not threaten anyone but had only advised that some objectionable things, like locking down the school, etc., were written in the application, which should not have been written.

On a specific query as to what action the State has taken against the erring official, the Additional Advocate General submitted that the said officer had been transferred to another place on the very next date and attached to the office of the Director, Public Instructions.

It was further submitted that four teachers were posted in the concerned school on the very next date.

Given this, considering the seriousness of the matter and the alleged conduct and behaviour of the District Education Officer concerned, the Court sought the personal affidavit of the Secretary, School Education Department, Government of Chhattisgarh, regarding the steps taken by the State Government for posting of the teachers in the schools of the State of Chhattisgarh, where there are minimum or no teachers.

The matter will now be heard on the 12^th of September, 2024, for further consideration.