The State government’s teachers’ recruitment policy appears to have boomeranged.

The government had evolved a policy under which the teachers had to serve for at least five years in the same district from where they took the written test and attended the counselling. However, that seems to have not gone well with the teachers, if attrition rate is any indicatioin. The worst affected places are backward districts in the state.

After taking up appointment as teachers in primary and high schools, the same people apply for teachers’ posts in the preferred places.

As a substantial chunk of them succeed in getting through the tests and accept new postings, the students in backward areas suffer. As they quit during the middle of academic year, the government finds it difficult to find replacements. The result that the posts remain vacant till new recruitment is made and the students go without lessons.

Some of the primary school teachers in HD Kote taluk, who were appointed in June 2007, resigned since they were successful in the recent recruitment drive. Some of the  schools in HD Kote taluk, which are inside the thick forest, are functioning with just  two teachers.

The Public Instruction Department appoints teachers based on the vacancies in each district. Lured by the good number of posts in their respective categories in a district, the aspirants of other districts take the test in that particular centre. After they clear the test, as per the rule, they will be placed in schools within that district.

They are supposed to serve the school to which they are first appointed for five years. They will be given transfers only in exceptional cases, mostly on humanitarian grounds. That too an inter-district transfer is close almost to improbability. Unable to get transfers, the teachers resort to taking fresh tests in their native districts.

Although the department does not return the marks cards and other original documents submitted by the teachers during their placement for two years, until they complete their probationary period, there is no hard and fast rule that the teachers should inform the department before taking tests. And they simply put in their papers once they get through the test in their districts. Those who want their service to be continued, only those in the pension scheme, obtain prior permission.  The situation calls for the policy makers to look into the issue seriously and find a viable solution to end the problems.

Confession

Commissioner for Public Instruction Kumar Naik claimed that they have taken notice of the development. Speaking to Deccan Herald, he also admitted that the trend has largely hit backward districts like Gulbarga, Bellary. Stating that they are at collecting necessary statistics in this regard, the Commissioner pointed out that based on them they will decide as to what has to be done to solve the problem.