Hill job hope for ad hoc teachers

TT; VIVEK CHHETRI Darjeeling, Nov. 7: The GTA has decided to regularise the jobs of 269 ad hoc teachers appointed by the erstwhile DGHC and also start fresh recruitment that was stopped in 2001 in the hills. Roshan Giri, the executive member of the GTA in charge of education, said: “The GTA has decided to regularise the services of 269 ad hoc teachers, who had been appointed by the erstwhile Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council.

 Once this process is completed, we will also regularise the services of volunteer teachers. After that, 225 primary school teachers who had passed interviews in 2002 would be recruited.” The primary school teachers had appeared for an examination held by the district primary school body but the DGHC never came out with the results. Volunteer teachers are those who had been asked by the managing committees of schools to help out either free of cost or for a nominal honourarium. 

 Teachers have not been appointed in the hills since 2001 as the DGHC had opposed the appointments through the School Service Commission examination. Following the opposition, the state government set up a separate SSC for the hills. But the GNLF then opposed holding of the examinations under this body saying ad hoc teachers had already been appointed. Giri said: “Out of the 269 ad hoc teachers, 173 approached Calcutta High Court and obtained orders favourable to them. However, once the recruitment of ad hoc and volunteer teachers is completed, we will revive the SSC (hills) and thereafter all appointments will be made through the SSC.”

 There are 53 high schools and 65 secondary schools in the hills. “We have found out that there are 643 sanctioned posts lying vacant,” Giri said. Asked whether the GTA needs to get an approval from the state education department for filling up the posts, Giri replied in the negative.

 “We need the government’s approval only when we need to create posts. These posts are already sanctioned and are lying vacant.” The GTA is also looking at regularising the jobs of 28 other ad hoc teachers who are working at the Darjeeling Government High School, Kalimpong Government High School and Sardeswari Girls High School in Darjeeling. “Since the teachers were appointed through the Public Service Commission in these schools we will have to work this out with the PSC,” Giri said.