Age bar for exam hurts Tamil Nadu's PG teachers

MADURAI:  Requests from the Post Graduate Teachers Recruitment Board (PG-TRB) aspirants see no end as PG teachers, educationalists, and officer bearers of the Tamil Nadu Government School Headmaster/Headmistress Association continuously urge the Chief Minister to remove the age limit while appearing for the PG-TRB examination.

On Saturday, while the CM attended a grama sabha at Pappapatti in the district, a team of aspirants submitted petitions to him. With the deadline to apply for the TRB examination fast-approaching – October 17 – thousands of aspirants who have completed their B.Ed are worried that they would not be able to apply for the PG-TRB examination as they are above 40 years.

In Tamil Nadu, the PG teachers must qualify for the PG-TRB examination, and according to a G.O. dated 30 January, 2020, the age limit to apply for the examination is 40 years. However, there is age relaxation of five to eight years for the PwDs, and people from backward classes. Since the TRB has given notification after two years to fill up 2,207 PG vacancies in government schools for various subjects, many teachers believe they are losing their chance to write the exam.

Pointing out that earlier there was no age limit, an aspirant and a guest lecturer working in a private aided college, Chithrakala (45) said her ambition in life is to be a government school teacher. “I have been continuously working towards my dream job but since when AIADMK came to power, they brought in this rule that only those below the age of 40 years can apply for the PG-TRB examination.

This is unethical as there is no age bar for those applying for the post of assistant professor through TRB. Though the CM promised to exempt age bar during the election campaign, we are left with some hope,” she added. Like Chithrakala, thousands of aspirants who crossed the age of 45, still wait, hoping that the DMK government would bring in some change to the age-limit, so they could appear for the exam.

An official from TRB, while requesting anonymity, responded on this issue and said till now, TRB has not received any communication from the government regarding the relaxation of the age limit. The government has to decide on the issue, he added.