The Lok Sabha on Friday passed a Bill to allow teachers who are not qualified to teach under the Right to Education Act but who hold jobs time till March 31, 2019 to clear examinations and get the required degrees, The Indian Express reported. If the teachers fail to clear these examinations by then, they may lose their jobs.

The Compulsory Education (Amendment) Bill, 2017 was supported by all parties in the Lok Sabha on Friday. Union Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar said unqualified teachers had been recruited when the RTE Act was passed in 2010, as qualified teachers were unavailable. “They were given five years to get qualified for their profession. Still, six lakh private school teachers and 2.5 lakh government school teachers continue to teach without proper qualifications,” he said.

The minister added that the recently launched Swayam website and the HRD ministry’s free-to-air Direct To Home channels can help teachers get educational materials. Javadekar also said an app had been launched to authenticate teachers’ attendance in schools.