Kerala govt regularises 20,000 temporary teachers in aided schools subject to SC verdict

The Kerala government on Wednesday issued an order allowing the regularisation of salary and service benefits of thousands of teachers working temporarily in aided schools, excluding posts reserved for persons with disabilities.

The decision follows a 2025 Supreme Court order in a case filed by the Nair Service Society (NSS) and subsequent legal advice from the Advocate General. Under the government order, teachers appointed on a provisional basis or on daily wages in aided schools- after setting apart posts mandated for disability reservation- will be brought under the regular salary scale, subject to the Supreme Court's final verdict on related Special Leave Petitions (SLPs).

The Supreme Court, in its earlier order, had also directed that appointments to posts reserved for persons with disabilities in aided schools be completed in a time-bound manner. It further ordered the state government to approve appointments made since 2021 of teachers and non-teaching staff who do not belong to the differently abled category in aided schools under the NSS. The Kerala government has since sought permission from the apex court to extend the benefit of that order to all aided school managements. The matter is scheduled for further consideration on April 14.

However, the government order makes it clear that the regularisation of 442 teachers who have themselves filed SLPs before the Supreme Court will remain on hold, as any action before the apex court's final decision would amount to contempt of court.

The order also mandates strict compliance with disability reservation norms in all aided school appointments and bars managements from filling posts earmarked for persons with disabilities without following procedures laid down by the Supreme Court. The directions will be binding on all future appointments, the government said.

District-level committees constituted to oversee appointments under the disability quota have been instructed to complete the second phase of selection and recommendation on an urgent basis. Education officers have also been given a two-week deadline to clear pending appointment approval proposals, failing which special adalats will be convened to ensure time-bound disposal.

Earlier, General Education Minister V Sivankutty said that the government's move would resolve long-standing legal complications in the aided education sector and provide relief to nearly 20,000 teachers, ensuring all eligible service benefits from the date of appointment.