HYDERABAD: With the stroke of a pen, the state government has rendered thousands of open university degree-holders ineligible to take the District Selection Committee (DSC) examination to be held for recruitment of candidates for teacher posts.By a GO (No: 4) issued on January 9, the government said those who obtained a degree in the open university education system without having Intermediate qualification are ineligible to take the DSC examination. Many open universities are recognised by the Distance Education Council (DEC) which was set up by an Act of Parliament. The Act says: “The Government of India has decided that all qualifications awarded through Distance Education by universities established by an Act of Parliament or state legislature, institutions deemed to be universities under Section 3 of the UGC Act, 1956 and institutions of national importance declared under an Act of Parliament stand automatically recognised for the purpose of employment to posts and services under the Central Government, provided they have been approved by the Distance Education Council.’’ The government’s decision has dashed the hopes of thousands of graduates from these universities who are aspiring to become teachers.Kallepalli Maisaiah from Karimnagar said he studied B.Ed at a regular university after graduating from Dr BR Ambedkar Open University.Maisaih, who discontinued his studies after Class X, pursued education in the distance mode while working as an electrician to support his family.Hoping to become a teacher, he has completed B.Ed by spending Rs 30,000 a year, and the government’s decision has dashed all his hopes. “I would not have pursed the open university education had the government declared earlier that open university degrees would not make them eligible for jobs,’’ he said.N Satyanarayana, who completed the Telugu Pandit course after doing a graduate course in distance mode, is another heart-broken candidate. Seething with anger, he wants the government to scrap the open university education system in the country if the degrees are not recognised. “What is the point in spending money and time on studying at an open university if the degree does not fetch me a job?” he asked.When contacted, principal secretary (school education) D Sambasiva Rao, who issued the GO making open university degree holders ineligible for taking the DSC examination, said: “I do not know what the GO contains. If you want any clarification, please contact the school education commissioner.”Till the last DSC (2008) exam, open university degree holders had been eligible for taking the examination. The bar has been placed only from the ensuing exam.
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