Police resorted to lathi-charge to disperse the agitating members of Bachelor of Education (BEd./ Teachers Eligibility Test (TET) unemployed federation who were trying to take a march to the State secretariat on Monday.
In support of their demand for increasing the posts of primary teachers in the current process of recruitment these youths gathered at the Parade ground and marched towards the state secretariat.
The police tried to stop the protesters near the secretariat which they resisted and in the ensuing melee police lathi charged the agitators in which at least a dozen B.Ed/TET unemployed youths sustained injuries. The youths who initially dispersed after the lathi charge again assembled and squatted before the barricading of the secretariat, a delegation of federation was later invited for talks by Additional Chief Secretary S Raju.
In the meeting, Raju assured that the Government would add 389 more posts in the present recruitment drive but on the demand of federation to add 1,800 more posts was rejected by him.
The president of B.Ed./ TET federation Manveer Rawat said that the State Cabinet in its meeting of March 5 had sanctioned 1,800 posts of primary teachers and decided that these posts would be added to the special recruitment drive of B.Ed./TET graduates.
He said that the Government is now back tracking on its promise but the federation would continue with its agitation till these posts are added in the recruitment drive. The federation is also demanding release of amended list of the selected candidates after adding more posts. Rawat said that Police lathi charged the peaceful agitators due to which many were injured. The injured were taken to Doon and coronation hospital.
The education department has completed the formalities to appoint 2,794 new primary teachers under the special recruitment drive for B.Ed. / TET qualified candidates.
The federation is demanding that the department should add more posts in the recruitment drive. The State Government has already given clearance for 389 more posts which would be added in some of the vacant seats of the recruitment drive. The department has used the criteria of year wise seniority of qualifying examination (BEd) for selection of these candidates.