Teachers’ recruitment: National Commission for Backward Classes recommends 5% relaxation to OBC candidates

NCBC vice-chairman Lokesh Kumar Prajapati, who issued recommendations dated March 3 to the officers of the education department, has asked them to do away with the existing irregularities

PRAYAGRAJ: National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) has recommended granting of 5% relaxation to OBC candidates in the recruitment drive of 2018, aimed at filling up 68,500 vacant posts of assistant teachers in the primary schools running under the UP Basic Education Board.

Teachers’ recruitment (Ht file)

NCBC vice-chairman Lokesh Kumar Prajapati, who issued recommendations dated March 3 to the officers of the education department, has asked them to do away with the existing irregularities and discrepancies in the recruitment process in this regard.

The candidates had presented proofs before the commission that the OBC and differently-abled candidates were kept at par with unreserved category for the recruitment and were not being granted 5% relaxation in qualifying/passing marks. Like the unreserved category, a condition of attaining a minimum of 67 marks (45 percent), was kept for passing the 150-mark exam for OBC and differently-abled candidates while SC-ST were passed on 60 marks (40 percent).

The commission in its recommendations—a copy of which is with HT— has maintained that according to the provisions of the notification dated July 29, 2011, related to the eligibility test of the National Council of Teacher Education (NCTE) and other recruitments of the Department of Basic Education, the OBC category candidates should be passed with a relaxation of 5% in the pass marks i.e. 60 marks (40 percent) out of 150 marks. These exams included the 69,000 teacher recruitment of 2019, 1504 assistant teacher recruitment of 2021 for government-aided junior high schools and the 72,825 Trainee Teacher Recruitment of2011.

The copy of the recommendations has also been sent to UP additional chief secretary (Basic education), director general (school education), director (Basic education) and secretary, Basic Education Board besides secretary of Examination Regulatory Authority, UP.

However, the state education department officials expressed their inability to comment over the decision citing model code of conduct in place owing to the UP Assembly Elections-2022. However, the candidates and the complainants are ecstatic over the recommendation.

“The 5% relaxation in passing marks for OBC candidates in 68,500 teacher recruitment drive of 2018 is a big success for us. We urge the Uttar Pradesh government to ensure justice to the affected candidates by duly implementing the recommendations in letter and spirit,” said Amarendra Singh, one of the complainants.

Around 22,000 posts are vacant in 68,500 assistant teachers’ recruitment drive (2018). The government had issued guidelines for this recruitment on January 9, 2018. More than 46,000 posts have been filled in three phases. Candidates are now demanding that the remaining 22,000 vacant posts also be filled on priority.