Fill vacant posts of teacher, demands union

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, February 16

The ETT-TET Qualified Unemployed Teachers’ Union held a meeting to discuss their plan of action over their long-standing demands at the Children’s Park and later staged a protest here on Sunday. Members of the union have been staging agitations for months, demanding regular jobs and filling of vacant posts of teacher.

The union members raised slogans against the state government alleging that it had failed to fulfil their long-standing demands.

Lovepreet Singh, district president of the union, said, “Despite being qualified, teachers are getting regular jobs in schools. The government’s decision to sanction 2,182 posts of BEd teachers and 500 posts of ETT teachers are not enough as there are a number of posts of teacher which have been lying vacant for a long time. We demand a minimum of 15,000 posts of BEd and 12,000 posts of ETT teacher should be sanctioned. There are around 30,000 vacant posts of teacher in the state.”

Lovepreet Singh added, “Over 65,000 teachers are unemployed even after clearing eligibility exams. Also, every year several many candidates become ineligible for recruitment as they become overage. The age limit (for recruitment) must be extended from 37 to 42 years.”

The union demanded that the criterion of 55 per cent marks in graduation has forced many qualified teachers to even commit suicide. Teachers who have been given extensions after retirement must be relieved of service and qualified unemployed teachers must be given opportunity.