At a time when the notification for recruitment of teachers through District Selection Committee (DSC) is expected any time now, the exact number the posts that the drive would cover is yet to be known and the teachers union are demanding that all the vacant posts must be filled if the quality of education is to be ensured.
‘Exact figure yet to emerge’
Teacher unions say that notification is likely to be issued to fill only 40% of the estimated total vacancies of 23,000, though the exact number is yet to be known. “Not filling all the vacancies will impact on the quality of education as well as the results,” they say. “As per government statistics, the total posts in mandal, Zilla Parishad and government schools by December last year was 14,194 while the same at residential schools including Gurukuls, Social Welfare, Tribal Welfare, BC Residential and AP Residential educational societies was 3175,” says UTF State general secretary D. Ramu.
The UTF estimate includes the physical education trainers (PET) totalling 8,000 at the rate of one for every 250 students. The government is promising a second PET post only if the number of students crosses 500.
In addition, for the new English medium primary schools, teachers with English speciality need to be appointed and the number could go up to 7,000, he says.
However, the official statistics pertaining to the vacant posts have been giving various figures at different time. At one time, they were 17,369. In April this year, it was 10,350 and in September, the number came down to 6,100, Mr. Ramu points out.
Though the exact number is not clearly known, the government now proposes to recruit for 3,175 posts for residential schools and only 6,100 in the other categories, Mr. Ramu says.
Further reducing the number, Inclusive Education for Disabled at Secondary Stage (IEDSS) and computer literacy posts accounting for a total of 1,883 have been brought under ‘outsourcing’, he alleged.
Since the last DSC was held in 2014, the aim should be to fill all the vacancies to strengthen the school education and provide jobs to a large number of unemployed, says State Teachers Union district general secretary E. Paidiraju.
‘Stiff competition’
“The competition will be stiff with the B.Ed. qualified also being made eligible for secondary grade teacher posts. Deputations and work-load adjustments alone account for 200 posts in the district alone and recruitment for them as well as backlog posts in SC, ST and differently abled categories also should be taken up,” he demands.