Only 5% of 60k aspirants qualify for teachers posts

Less than 5% of the 60,000 applicants for primary school teachers’ posts have secured eligibility marks in the competitive examination conducted for selection of candidates.

Conducted by the Centralised Admission Cell, the Graduate Primary School Teacher Recruitment Test was intended to fill 10,000 vacancies in various higher primary schools. However, according to the Education department, only 2,500 candidates have managed to secure the desired marks out of the 60,000 applicants.

In the last week of July 2018, the department issued a circular stating that it has completely done away with eligibility norms for appointment of teachers. However, the decision was shelved following protests by aspirants.

P C Jaffer, Commissioner, DPI, said that except for English teachers, all the other teachers had to take three papers and score a certain percentage of marks beside having a 50% score in graduation. “This is the first time we introduced a descriptive paper. While the subject paper was partly descriptive, the test of knowledge was completely descriptive. This was done with an intention to maintain the quality. Many have failed to clear it,” he added.

Trained to answer objective-type questions, a whopping number of aspiring teachers have failed to clear the competitive examination.

Surprised by the abysmal pass percentage, the education department, with no alternative, is forced to relax cut-off marks for recruitment of teachers to government higher primary schools.

Many applicants who failed to meet secure eligibility marks, met Chief Minister Kumaraswamy and requested him that the norms be relaxed to accommodate aspiring teachers.

Following the request, a legal opinion was sought to make suitable amendments for recruitment norms. Accordingly, the commissioner of public instruction was asked to provide a list of the number of candidates who would be eligible if the eligibility marks were reduced by 5%. However, senior officials had reportedly opposed the move on the ground that reducing the qualifying marks would hit the quality of teachers.

“It was a basic 10+2 class paper. If only 2,500 who appeared for the exam qualify, it reflects on the quality of the higher education system that we have currently. The purpose of having the exam was to ensure that only qualified candidates are recruited. Relaxing these norms will serve no purpose and many of us opposed it.

“However, the government seems to be left with no option than to relax the norms,” said a senior official from the department.