Maharashtra Relaxes Rules for Semi-English Teacher Hiring

The Maharashtra government has announced a major relief for aspiring teachers by relaxing the eligibility criteria for recruitment in semi-English schools through the state’s Pavitra Teacher Recruitment Portal. The move is expected to address the persistent shortage of eligible candidates and ensure that vacant teaching positions are filled more efficiently.

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The School Education Department has issued a corrigendum modifying the recruitment guidelines for teachers in semi-English schools. Under the revised rules, candidates who have not completed their professional teaching qualification through the English medium will now also be considered eligible, provided they possess qualifications such as Class 12 Science, BA/MA in English, or BSc/MSc degrees.

Earlier, recruitment rules made it mandatory for candidates teaching in semi-English schools to have completed both their academic and professional qualifications through the English medium, along with clearing the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET). However, due to the limited availability of such candidates, a large number of teaching posts remained vacant across the state.

To overcome this challenge, the government has now introduced flexibility in the recruitment process. For teachers appointed to Classes 1 to 10 in semi-English schools, preference will continue to be given to candidates who have completed their professional qualifications in English. However, if suitable candidates are unavailable within the respective social reservation category, fresh recruitment advertisements can be issued and candidates meeting the newly relaxed eligibility criteria will also be considered.

The revised policy also clarifies that candidates who completed their Class 10 education in Marathi, Hindi, Urdu, Kannada, or any other recognised medium, or studied the respective language as their second language, can be considered for appointments in schools of the corresponding medium while teaching semi-English subjects.

The decision follows directions issued by the court in a petition challenging the eligibility criteria for recruitment in semi-English schools. Acting on those observations, the School Education Department amended the recruitment norms to ensure that teacher vacancies do not remain unfilled.

Welcoming the move, petitioner Santosh Magar said the revised rules would significantly reduce the number of vacant teaching posts and help strengthen the recruitment process across Maharashtra.