Transfer drive for regular teachers to precede contractual hiring: Min

GURGAON: Amid the confusion between the department of education and Haryana Kaushal Rozgar Nigam (HKRN) about the demand and supply of trained graduate teachers (TGTs) and postgraduate teachers (PGTs), a group of shortlisted educators who are yet to get their joining letters met school education minister Kanwar Pal Gujjar in Yamunanagar on Monday.
Gujjar told the teachers he will ensure that they get their joining letters as soon as the transfer drive of the regular teachers concludes. He asked them to wait till the summer vacations are over. A total of 2,069 teachers were shortlisted by HKRN, which provides contractual manpower to the government, in December last year.
Speaking to TOI, Gujjar said, “We need the teachers more than they need a job. There is a shortage of teachers across the state that we need to fill on a priority basis. But we have to prioritise regular teachers over contractual ones at present. If we post them to the current vacant posts, it might lead to an irrationalised teacher allotment in the schools across the state. Hence, it is better to wait for another month, than hastening to send appointment letters.”
When asked about the issue earlier, however, he had said that providing joining letters to the shortlisted teachers was not the education department’s responsibility since it had already submitted the demand to HKRN.
HKRN, on the other hand, had maintained that they were still not clear about the requirement of the department, hence the delay.
Asked about the confusion on Monday, Gujjar said, “I was not aware that HKRN has denied receiving the requirement. I will talk to them and sort out the issue.”
Many of the PGTs and TGTs were sacked from their private jobs when their employers heard about them being shortlisted by HKRN, while several others resigned on receiving text messages about their job assurance and phone calls that the chief minister made to them congratulating them for their jobs.
One of the sacked TGTs said, “Our employers fired us since the shortlisted candidates in the first list received their appointment letters within a week. They were worried we would leave mid-session.”
After their meeting with the school education minister on Monday, the teachers are now prepared to send one delegation each to Panchkula and Chandigarh on Thursday.