E-Paper
Waiting for job letters: ETT teachers in Punjab’s Sangrur threaten to ‘gherao’ education minister on R Day
Over 1,100 ETT teachers, waiting for the offer letters for the past seven months, has been making rounds of the education department’s office in Mohali but to no avail.
Over 1,100 ETT teachers, waiting for the offer letters for the past seven months, has been making rounds of the education department’s office in Mohali but to no avail. Annoyed over the delay the aspiring teachers have now decided to ‘gherao’ education minister Harjot Singh Bains on January 26.
Punjab government started the recruitment process on July 30, 2021, for filling up posts of 6,635 teachers, however, 18 months have passed but the government is yet to hand over the letters to all the selected candidates.
The recruitment was challenged in the Punjab and Haryana high court which ordered a stay in November 2021. The stay was vacated on May 16, last year.
After that, on July 2 and 3 the state government gave offer letters to 4,700 teachers. So far the government has given offer letters to around 5,500 ETT teachers who have since joined the department.
Deepak Kamboj (41), state president of the unemployed ETT teachers, said, “I am also on the merit list of successful candidates. But despite that, I have been waiting for the offer letters for the past seven months. I visited the department office dozens of times and demanded to release all lists of successful candidates, but nothing is happening.”
“First, we protested for many years demanding employment. Now, when we are among the successful candidates, we have to struggle to get offer letters,” Kamboj said adding, “If the government fails to release the lists of all the successful candidates before the Republic Day, we will gherao the education minister wherever he will unfurl the national flag.”
Education minister Bains said that the process will be completed soon.
“The National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) has given some directions, and we will complete the recruitment complying with the directions soon,” Bains said.
Director General of School Education (DGSE), Varinder Kumar said, “As of today, two complaints are pending regarding this recruitment on reservation issues. The first complaint is under consideration by the NCSC, and the second complaint is pending with the department of social justice and empowerment and minorities. Serious legal issues regarding past judicial judgments and precedents have been raised. We can proceed further only after clearance of these complaints by these two institutions.”
