Tarun Karthick
Port Blair, 01 March 2024
In response to the recent Vacancy Notice issued by the Education Department (A/769/2023 – RMIS CELL- EDN_AN /65435/1010) on February 14, 2024, announcing 413 vacant posts of Primary School Teachers in various mediums, Member of Parliament for Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Mr. Kuldeep Rai Sharma, has demanded an extension of the upper age limit for aspiring candidates by eight years.
Under the existing recruitment rules, the upper age limit for candidates without any relaxation stands at 30 years. However, it is extended up to 40 years for DRMs, contract employees, and teachers engaged under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan, as per the A&N Administration circular no. 45/1998-PW dated September 19, 2011.
In a letter addressed to the Hon’ble Lt. Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Mr. Sharma highlighted the predicament faced by numerous educationally qualified candidates, including those who have passed the Central Teacher Eligibility Test (CTET), serving in public aided and private schools. These individuals are unable to apply for the 413 vacant Primary School Teacher positions due to being overaged.
Mr. Sharma emphasized that over the past decade, only on two occasions have the Primary School Teacher positions been filled, and that too in limited numbers, resulting in the current large vacancy of 413 posts. He attributed the administrative delays in filling these positions to the plight of qualified local youths becoming overaged without any opportunity for recruitment.
Pointing out the disparity in age relaxation, Mr. Sharma noted that while DRMs, contract employees, and Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan teachers benefit from an extended upper age limit of 40 years, this advantage is not extended to teachers serving in public aided and unaided schools. Consequently, many qualified teachers are rendered overaged for applying to these positions.
Mr. Sharma recalled a similar situation in 2016, where the Hon’ble Lt. Governor had granted an upper age relaxation of eight years for both male and female candidates for the recruitment of GTT and PST, to provide opportunities in public employment to the overaged unemployed youths of the islands.
In light of these circumstances, the Member of Parliament has urged the Hon’ble Lt. Governor to grant a one-time relaxation of eight years to the prescribed upper age limit of 30 years for both male and female candidates for the recruitment of 413 Primary School Teachers.