Teachers’ recruitment process in Punjab becomes questionable : Unemployed youths in stress over new policy of recruitment

PERC demands to complete recruitment process within 100 days besides merit on 50:50  basis of  basic qualification and tests

Teachers’ recruitment process in Punjab becomes questionable : Unemployed  youths distressed over new policy of recruitment

Completion of recruitment process not possible because of lengthy examination procedures

In Punjab, the living conditions of around 2.70 lakh educated youths are worst than the daily wagers and they are being grinded in the machine of unemployment. Out of this, about 40,000 are out of the recruitment process because of over age and only 22,000 youths who have cleared the eligibility test are eligible for recruitment.  According to government estimates, more than 30,000 posts of teachers are lying vacant in government schools to be filled-up.  At present, the advertisement for only 10130 posts have been released which include 3522 ETT, 6050 Masters and 650 Lecturers of different subjects.

Now the questions are being raised for 22,000 teachers, who have cleared the TET test and about  more than 2 lakh educated unemployed youths out of the recruitment process because the government is backing out from filling up the vacant posts by entrapping them in new recruitment policies from time to time.

According to the logistics, firstly the government had shown the outdoor to thousands of educated unemployed youths since 2011 by introducing the Teachers’ Eligibility Test (TET) and now the remaining 22,000 are facing number of problems on thrashing the new recruitment policy.

If we first talk about 3522 TET pass youths, earlier there used to be joint merit of 10+2 and TET Diploma but in the new education policy, only the TET qualified are to be considered as the base for eligibility numbers.  Keeping aside the basic qualification in preparation of merit list is nothing but to enter into unnecessary litigation in the courts.

Not only this, another test of 150 numbers has to be cleared alongwith the TET as the recruitment basis will be TET and the numbers obtained in the additional test.  Here too, the qualifications of BA/BSc/BEd have been ignored in the merit list.

The service conditions of 650 Lecturers in different 12 subjects  have been fixed with two papers of 150 numbers each.

In all, the eligible candidates for Lecturers are not happy with the new recruitment policy of the government.

As per the sources, the fee of Rs.500 ETT teachers, and Rs.250 for SC/ST teachers, Rs.700 for Bed Masters and Misterss and Rs.350 for Lecturers  has been fixed for applying for the post.  More than one lakh applications have been received while fixing the test for lecturers for the first time.

It is pertinent to mention here that the government is yet to arrange tests for the subjects related to lecturers.  Because of lengthy recruitment process – taking of test, making of merit list, issuing of appointment letters etc. – the chances of finalizations of recruitment process as hitherto looks to be remote.

When Punjab Education Reforms Committee spokesperson Hans Raj was contacted, firstly he appreciated the starting of recruitment process but put a demand before the Education Minister that the entire process of recruiting should be completed within a period of 100 days besides making a little amendment in the recruitment formula of merit – 50 percent on the  basis of basic eligibility and 50 per cent on the concerned tests so that the recruitment process is finalized easily and properly.