The Madras High Court on Wednesday cleared a major hurdle to the government’s move to start kindergarten classes for 52,933 children in 2,381 Anganwadi centres attached to government middle schools across the State from June 1.
It dismissed a batch of cases filed by government teachers’ associations and upheld the State’s decision to deploy the existing surplus secondary grade teachers to impart Montessori-based education to the kindergarten students.
Justices N. Kirubakaran and S.S. Sundar lauded the step taken by the State to arrest declining enrolment in Anganwadi centres due to the clamour for English-medium kindergarten classes run by private schools. They also appreciated the prudent move to utilise surplus teachers instead of appointing new teachers and asked the State to begin conducting a six-month bridge course to train the secondary grade teachers on imparting Montessori-based education.
In their verdict reserved at the Madurai Bench and delivered at the principal seat in Chennai, the judges recorded the submission of Additional Advocate General K. Chellapandian that there were 54,439 Anganwadi centres in the State providing supplementary nutrition and free non-formal education to children between the age of two to five. Of these, 2,381 centres were situated within the premises of government middle schools in 32 districts.
Decline in enrolment
The government noticed a steady decline in enrolment in these Anganwadi centres and hence decided to start kindergarten classes there on a pilot basis for three years. It sanctioned ₹7.73 crore in December last to provide four sets of uniforms, one set of footwear, learning materials such as crayons and colour pencils and course completion certificates to the children. It was also decided that woollen sweaters and rain boots would be given to those residing in hilly areas.
In so far as the required manpower was concerned, the government decided to utilise the services of 5,934 secondary grade teachers in government-aided primary and middle schools and 1,979 secondary teachers in government as well as panchayat union schools. These teachers had become surplus on account of decline in student strength in those schools and yet the government had been spending ₹445 crore per annum towards their salaries, the court was told.
An assurance was also given to the court that the service conditions of the teachers would not get altered in any way on account of their deployment to teach kindergarten students and they need not consider it as a demotion. It was further highlighted that the National Council of Teacher Education (NCTE) too had given a go-ahead for such deployment after it was brought to its notice that diplomas in nursery education was not offered by many institutes in the State.
For the children
The NCTE had granted approval for utilising the services of existing secondary grade teachers by imparting necessary training in Montessori education and only a formal nod was awaited from the Centre. After taking note of the developments, the judges said: “Teachers are like Gods and they cannot question each and every decision taken by the government in public interest, especially in the interest of children belonging to economically weaker sections.
“It has become a fashion for government teachers, who are paid a handsome salary, to rush to the court for each and every decision taken by the government... Before coming to Court, they should have thought of the interest of the poor sections of the society and the decline in enrolment in Anganwadi centres and government schools.” The judges also blamed the government as well as the teachers for the decline in enrolment in government schools.
