JOIN USIt is a glut of teachers at Morarji residential schools
The ‘criterion’ adopted by the State government for appointment of teachers to Morarji Desai, Kittur Rani Chennamma and Ekalayva model residential schools has led to a glut of teachers.
The Karnataka Residential Educational Institutions Society (KREIS) is the nodal authority for the appointment of teachers to the residential schools.
However, the responsibility was vested with the district administrations during the period 2006 and 2011. The Society was authorised to recruit teachers again in 20 11.
The district administrations, during their reign (2006-2011), appointed teachers on contract basis through the nodal agencies they had identified. The Society, soon after resuming recruiting authority, decided to regularise the services of teachers appointed on contract basis, between 2001 and 2005. The move irked the teachers appointed by the district administrations between 2006 and 2011.
The Society called applications for recruitment of teachers and principals through competitive examination. It offered a five-point grace marks for each year of service (up to a maximum of eight years) to the teachers appointed between 2001 and 2005. Such candidates were also eligible for relaxation in age.
The offer was of no use as the Society did not conduct any examination for contract teachers but began regularising their service on an ‘observation’ basis.
On the other hand, the teachers appointed by the district administrations were asked to appear for the examination, that too without any age relaxation. It was the reasoning of KREIS was that it cannot treat “outsourced” candidates on a par with others.
HC approached
The first list of the selected candidates was announced in December 2011 and the outsourced candidates challenged the appointment in the High Court. Within a few months, the second and third lists too were announced.
Meanwhile, the High Court passed an interim order stating that the petitioners (approximately 700 teachers) should be given weightage (grace marks) and age relaxation and that their services should not be terminated till the disposal of the petition.
While the Society restrained from terminating the services of teachers, it started counselling to recruit teachers on a permanent basis.
The counselling was conducted between May 31 and June 6, 2012.
Now, the residential schools are crowded with the contract teachers appointed by the Society, the outsourced teachers and the freshly appointed candidates.
More is not merry
A principal of the Morarji Residential School, who wished to be unnamed, said the condition was such that the two teachers were made to teach the same subject for the same class.
“The problem will be compounded if freshly recruited principals join the duty at schools which already have ‘outsourced’ principals.
The very authority of the principals will be in question and this will have a bearing on the running of the schools. The KREIS should not have proceeded further till the High Court delivered its verdict,” the principal said.
The Executive Director of the KREIS was not available for comment.