Overview
- India's Supreme Court, ruling Thursday, directed Jharkhand to earmark half of assistant teacher and sahayak acharya posts for para-teachers and to issue the reservation notice within four weeks.
- The court set a 10-week deadline to complete hiring, with advertisements restricted to eligible para-teachers and merit lists based on academic records and TET or JTET scores.
- The judges declined blanket regularisation or automatic equal pay, citing constitutional recruitment rules that prevent courts from creating new pathways into government service.
- The order pressed the state to end ad-hoc hiring and to run regular performance audits, saying stable jobs and oversight are needed to improve teaching in primary and secondary schools.
- Para-teachers in Jharkhand have taught for five to fifteen years on small stipends under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, so a faster, rule-based route could bring job security for instructors and continuity for students.