Many private schools were shut and colleges banking on contractual teachers suffered staff-crunch as thousands of educated youngsters in Kashmir appeared in a written test for selection as teachers in Government schools. More than three lakh candidates have applied for 12,000 posts of teachers and allied positions in schools. The second phase of written test would be conducted on Saturday.
The educated youth in Kashmir prefer Government jobs even as the Government has systematically made the non-gazetted jobs less lucrative.
For example, the teachers selected through the current process would be paid a paltry salary of `3,000 per month for two years with an increment of `2,250 for the next three years before accommodating them in regular pay bands. Worse, they would not get any pension benefits after retirement.
“Even if the Government jobs are less lucrative, the youngsters prefer them because they are secure and dependable,” said Riaz Ahmad, an aspirant from south Kashmir.
Shugufta Parveen, chairperson of State Services Recruitment Board (SSRB), the agency that conducts recruitment tests and viva voce said that two lakh candidates wrote their examination on Tuesday. She said that another one lakh candidates would appear for similar exam on Saturday for posts of forest guards, laboratory assistants and accounts assistants.
Interestingly, most of the candidates were working in private sector, which suffered badly due to their absence on Tuesday. A private school principal said that they declared holiday because 90 per cent of their staff went to write the examination for recruitment in Government sector. “We had no other option but to declare a holiday”, he said.
Even the Government-run educational institutions were affected. Most of the higher secondary schools and degree colleges have contractual lecturers on their teaching faculty, who preferred to appear for the written test. “Even as contractual lecturers get a monthly salary not less than Rs 15,000 but they prefer to get a possible permanent job”, said Rafiq Ahmad, a college professor.
Interestingly, the central government’s initiatives to involve Kashmiri youngsters in private sector jobs has not taken off well. A recent report revealed that the much-touted Udaan programme, initiated to give training and jobs to Kashmiri youngsters has failed to gain currency.
The Udaan programme was conceptualized after the public uprising of 2010, which was mostly carried out by youngsters. Officials say that more than six lakh educated youth are in the embattled Jammu and Kashmir.