After 14 years, the State government has taken steps to promote eligible government high school assistant teachers to the post of lecturers in government Pre-University (PU) colleges through an eligibility test.
As per the Cadre and Recruitment Rules of the Pre-University Education, 75% of the lecturers in government PU colleges are recruited directly through competitive examinations. The remaining 25% of the lecturer posts are filled by promoting government high school teachers. In 2011, the State government promoted high school teachers to the post of PU college lecturers.
The high school assistant teachers who are eligible for promotion should have a BEd educational qualification along with a postgraduate degree and should have secured 50% marks in their postgraduate degree in the teaching subject or 50% in their postgraduate degree in any optional subject studied at the graduation level. They should have also completed at least 10 years of service. If a teacher who has completed 10 years of service is not available, a teacher who has seven years of service would be considered for promotion.
Eligibility test mandatory
The State government has decided to conduct an eligibility test for 100 marks with descriptive questions. 80% of the questions will be asked in first and second PU subjects, while 20% in the postgraduate subjects. Teachers who score at least 50% of marks will be eligible for promotion to the post of lecturer.
Till now, the government has been directly promoting qualified teachers on the basis of their educational qualifications and seniority to the post of lecturer.
However, the high school assistant teachers have objected to the eligibility test, a first in the State. “Why is an eligibility test that is not applicable for promotion in any other government department being imposed only on high school teachers?” a teacher questioned.
“It is unscientific to propose an eligibility test for the promotion of PU lecturers. Most of the high school teachers eligible for promotion have 10 to 20 years of experience, and it would be sufficient if they were given departmental training after promotion,” another teacher said.
PU Lecturers’ Association welcomes move
The Karnataka Government Pre-University College Lecturers’ Association, on the other hand, has welcomed the government’s decision.
A.H. Ninge Gowda, president of the association, said, “All government recruitments are done through competitive examinations. Teaching at the PU level requires good quality lecturers. For the sake of quality education, the government’s decision to conduct an eligibility test is a good one.”
Published – November 29, 2025 06:56 pm IST
