Govt gives teacher job plan to court

TT, Calcutta, Aug. 18: The education department today informed Calcutta High Court that it had worked out a formula to end the stalemate over the recruitment of teachers in primary schools.

"We have decided that the candidates who have passed the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) and also have PTTI (Primary Teachers Training Institution) certificates or the DLEd (Diploma in Elementary Education) degrees will get priority in the recruitment process. If there are vacancies after these recruitments, they will be filled up with candidates who have cleared the TET but do not have either the PTTI certificate or the DLEd degree," the state's additional advocate-general, Laxmi Gupta, told Justice C.S. Karnan.

Over 35,000 teacher posts are vacant in the state.

The last TET at the primary level was held in October 2015 for 30,000 vacancies. Around 20 lakh candidates had taken the exam but recruitments could not be made because of court cases alleging irregularities and a paper leak.

There are around 59,000 state-aided primary schools in Bengal and the last time recruitments were made was on March 31, 2013. Around 20 lakh candidates had taken the written test. Around half of the 35,000-odd vacancies could be filled because 18,000 candidates qualified. Around 17,000 were selected after interviews.

A source said the formula was the only solution the administration could come up with as the state lacked enough trained candidates.

"We can't fill up the vacancies unless we consider candidates who have passed the TET but are not trained. But as the Centre has made training compulsory, we will give preference to candidates with either a PTTI certificate or the DLEd degree," the source said.

Several other officials said the recruitment of untrained candidates could create legal hassles as the Centre has made a PTTI certificate or the DLEd degree compulsory.

The National Council for Teachers' Education had allowed a relaxation to Bengal till March 31 and allowed the state to recruit untrained candidates.