More than two months after the schools reopened, Adi Dravidar Welfare Department of Tamil Nadu has issued circulars to fill the vacancies of 120 Bachelor of Teaching (BT) assistants posts and 50 postgraduate (PG) teacher posts in higher secondary schools, high schools and middle schools in the state, as stated in a report by The New Indian Express.
The vacancies have to be filled through the school management committees.
The department, in the circular, said preference should be given to candidates belonging to scheduled caste and scheduled tribe (SC/ST) communities, those who have passed the Teachers' Eligibility Test (TET). It also said the volunteers of Illam Thedi Kalvi should be given preference while recruiting BT assistants.
The circular said for PG teachers, those who cleared the Teachers Recruitment Board (TRB) examination and participated in the certificate verification should be given priority. The candidates from nearby areas to the school should also be given priority.
The information regarding the recruitment has to be displayed at the offices of Adi Dravidar Welfare (ADW) officer tahsildars (ADW) and advertisements should also be given in the district edition of a newspaper. While BT assistants will be paid Rs 15,000 per month, the salary for PG teachers is Rs 18,000 per month. The teachers have to be appointed and the details have to be sent to the directorate by August 31.
The circular also said no extension will be given for the appointment process. The applicants can submit their applications to the Adi Dravidar Welfare office in person or through the post which will be then forwarded to the respective schools. The headmaster has to ensure that the temporary teachers complete the subject portions on time and monitor this.
In a hurry?
However, the headmasters and teachers working in the schools said the department is forcing the schools to conduct recruitment in a hurry.
"If we have to follow the process said in the circular dated August 28, it will take at least a week to complete. It has been two-and-a-half months since the schools reopened. The quarterly examinations are approaching. The schools under the school education department were asked to appoint temporary teachers at the beginning of the academic year. The department, which was created for the welfare of the weaker sections of the society, is denying them the opportunity to get proper education due to its lethargic attitude," said a headmaster working in an Adi Dradivar Welfare School.
He also questioned how the temporary teachers working for a meagre salary can be expected to complete the portions on time, with two months already gone.
