Organisations for persons with disabilities clarify
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, September 22 2011:
Reacting to apprehension of certain organisations with regard to selection of some visually impaired candidates as primary, graduate and Hindi graduate teachers, the handicapped Development Foundation clarified that the selection was according to laid down norms and there is no question of impropriety in the recruitment process.
Speaking to newspersons at a media briefing jointly organised by the HD Foundation and Students' Welfare Association for the Blind (SWAB) at Manipur Press Club today, Foundation secretary Jasobanta said a total of 42 seats were reserved for candidates with disabilities, including visually impaired.
It is informed that out of the total vacancy of 1423 for the post of primary teacher, graduate teacher and Hindi graduate teacher about 100 candidates with disabilities had appeared at the recruitment examination conducted in 2006 .
When the result was finally declared some days back 29 candidates were declared as eligible for the said posts out of the total of 42 seats reserved for candidates with disabilities, Jasobanta maintained while describing apprehension from certain quarters on the selection as uncalled for and discriminatory.
Confiding that reservation of seats for persons with disabilities in the said recruitment test materialised due to relentless joint effort of the Foundation and SWAB with authorities concerned, he expressed that comments made to the media on their selection could have been avoided had there been either proper consultation with relevant departments or the accusing bodies were aware of the recruitment procedures.
Further conveying that out of the 29 selected candidates four are visually impaired, he said there should be no doubt that there was stiff competition among the candidates of the same category which had been vindicated by the fact that 13 seats remain vacant due to apparent lack of qualified candidates, he stated.
SWAB secretary Konsam Sadananda, who was also present at the media briefing said persons with disabilities too deserve employment opportunities while asserting that doubting abilities of such individuals would be a mistake as had been proved in Assam where there are 56 visually impaired individuals employed as primary school teachers in addition to a headmaster in Andhra Pradesh.