Appointment of graduate teachers; DESAM jests at recruitment norms
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, July 02 2011: Ridiculing priority accorded to health check up and medical examination as is normally associated in the recruitment of VDF, police or IRB personnel, rather than conducting test on language proficiency, communication skills, aptitude and personality or written test for appointment of teachers, Democratic Students' Alliance of Manipur (DESAM) has demanded that the Government review decision of recruiting 536 Graduate teachers under Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) based solely on mark.

Addressing a press conference in this connection at its Keishampat head office here this afternoon, secretary general of DESAM M Angamba Meitei asserted that the Government should review its decision as such recruitment on the basis of marks only is going to have a serious impact in the system of education in Manipur.

Angamba said as had been announced out of 13,378 candidates who applied in response to the Government notification on April 7, 2011 for recruitment of 536 Graduate teachers to fill up vacant posts following upgradation of 67 Junior High Schools to High School level under RMSA, only 3059 candidates were found to be eligible.

Initially, it was declared that the selection would be on the basis of 85 percent marks to be counted from the academic scores of the candidates and the remaining 15 percent from the interview.

Subsequently, a meeting of the State Cabinet held on June 21 decided that instead of 15 percent marks only 5 percent marks would be allotted for the interview.

However, yet another meeting of the Cabinet held rather hastily on June 27 resolved that the interview would be done away with.

On top of this, the marking system of various Boards, Councils and Universities in the country are different.

The marking system of CBSE and NIOS is quite different to that of BOSEM and COHSEM, Angamba further pointed out, while asking whether a candidate who scored more than 90 percent marks under NIOS is to be regarded as someone with bright academic career or not.

Would all those candidates who completed graduation and post-graduate from colleges or universities whose status of recognition under UGC is uncertain or those who have done BEd through correspondence courses are to be considered eligible for the post of teaching without any test, he further questioned.

Moreover, there is also confusion over selection of Science Graduate teachers under RMSA.

It is impossible for a candidate who has taken Home Sciences at the degree level to teach Physics after his selection as a Science Graduate teacher, he contended.

Giving priority to health check up and medical examination instead of conducting any test on language proficiency, communication skills, aptitude and personality or written test for the post of teachers is like applying the formula of recruiting VDF, police or IRB, he ridiculed.

The Government should stop its glib talk over transparency and prevention of corruption this time when the results of the numerous controversial recruitment tests for teachers conducted in the past have been put under wrap, and instead think over reviewing the decision of selecting teachers on the basis of marks, Angamba suggested.

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