The shortage of teachers in Punjab’s secondary schools is expected to be addressed soon. Punjab Government is all set to recruit 8,700 teachers for secondary schools. The recruitment process will be initiated within a few days as the advertisement is expected to be released shortly.
Sources said that education department has planned an altogether different module for selection of the teachers. The selection of teachers will be based on the performance of the applicants in the written examination. The process of interview has been completely done away with.
The authorities in the department said that the subject specific written test will be the key for selection this time. Out of 100 marks, 50 marks will be granted on the basis of performance in State Teachers Eligibility Test (STET) and rest 50 will be determined on the basis of written test in the subject in which the applicant applies to be the teacher.
Talking on the issue of shortage in schools, Education Secretary C Roul said that the vacancies of teachers in secondary schools are expected to be over with the selection. Recruitment process of around 4000 primary teachers has already been initiated.
He said that to keep the selection process transparent and guard it from legal hassles, the department has completely done away with the marks for interview and now the selection will be based on the performance in written exam and it will be on records.
The newly selected teachers will be sent for training first and thereafter they will be deputed on their job.
The education department has identified 400 master trainers across the state, who will now onwards be deputed only for training the teachers.
Roul said that department has carved a detailed plan for training of teachers and teachers will be provided training in different modes i.e., pre-service training, induction training and In-service training. State council of educational research and planning has been declared the nodal agency for training of teachers. He said that first batch of teachers training will commence from November 23.
Some time back, Punjab Education Minister Daljeet Singh Cheema had interacted with different government school teachers and found a number of shortcomings in the attitude and teaching skills of teachers.
He had found serious inadequacies in the linguistics of the language teachers specially English. He is said to have advised some serving teachers to go in for conditioning program to escape strict administrative action.