Interviews for selection in teaching and non teaching posts in Government aided schools of State would be a thing of past now. In a major initiative to cleanse the much maligned selection process in these schools, the State Government has decided to abolish interviews. Addressing newsmen at his office at Vidhan Sabha on Thursday, the education minister Arvind Pandey said that the Government has decided to put in place a transparent system of selection in the government aided schools of the state. He said that the selection in these schools would now purely on the basis of merit and academic achievements. The minister said that after large scale complaints in selection of teachers in these schools the decision to abolish interviews is taken and the practice of bonus marks for teaching experience too has been dispensed with.
“In many cases money exchanged hands in lieu of the selection in these schools. After we found that meritorious students are rejected in interviews selection process in all schools were immediately cancelled and now we have decided to put into practice a transparent system of selection,’’ he said.
There are 334 Government aided schools in the state (130 in Kumaon division, 204 in Garhwal division). After complaints the government has also cancelled the process of selection in 393 teaching posts in these schools.
The government aided schools are managed by societies but the State Government bears the cost of the salaries of the staff members. The salaries in these schools are at par with the Government salaries. large numbers of candidates usually apply for few teaching and other posts in these schools as apart from better salaries there is no fear of transfer from there. The complaints of exchange of money, nepotism and favouritism are rampant in the selection process of these schools.
In another important decision, the education minister empathetically declared that the dress code for teachers of government schools would be implemented. He said that the teachers have been given the option of deciding the dress code themselves. Pandey clearly told that teachers would have to come to the schools in dress code. The Minister also claimed that furniture in all government schools would be provided within three months. He said that industrial houses and private companies are offering unprecedented help to the government in providing furniture in the schools. Pandey also said that the private schools have stopped charging readmission fee and caution money after tough stance of the government on the issue. He also said that talks with National Council of Education Research and Training (NCERT) on printing textbooks in the state have been fruitful and from next session all the schools in the State would compulsorily have these books.