The agitating Federation of Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.)/ Teacher’s Eligibility Test (TET) qualified unemployed youths has threatened to ensure defeat of Congress candidates in the forthcoming Assembly by- elections if their demand of job is not fulfilled before these
elections. By-elections for Dharchula, Doiwala and Someshwar Assembly constituencies would be held on July 21. There are more than 25,000 B.Ed / TET qualified candidates in the State and on the issue of appointments in the primary teacher cadre in the State these youths are on a path of agitation since January 5 this year.
The president of the B.Ed/ TET federation Baldev Singh Bhandari told The Pioneer that the State Government has done nothing concrete to remove the hiccups in the recruitment process for the appointment of primary teachers. He said that the State Chief Minister Harish Rawat has assured them many times that the B.Ed. / TET holders would be given appointments but the unemployed youths are yet to get the jobs. Bhandari said that after a protracted agitation the unemployed youths are desperate and their patience is fast waning. He said that the members of the federation would work against the candidates of the Congress party in the by-elections if the appointment process is not initiated soon. On Saturday Congress leader Sushil Rathi met the members of the Federation as a representative of the State Chief Minister Harish Rawat. Rathi assured the agitators that their demands would be soon fulfilled and requested them to withdraw their agitation. Bhandari said that Rathi gave them mere assurance and the agitation of the federation would continue till the State Government gives them appointments.
The federation which is leading a long struggle against the State Government is demanding that it should immediately fulfill the vacant posts of primary teachers in the Government schools of the State. Their agitation was prompted by the recent decision of the National Council of Teacher Education (NCTE) in which it ordered that the posts of the primary teachers should be filled only by the Diploma in Elementary Education (D.El.Ed) qualified candidates. Due to the pressure created by the agitation the education department initiated recruitment process for 1891 posts of primary teachers. The recruitment process however received a jolt when Uttarakhand High Court quashed the recruitment advertisement these posts on the ground that the process of recruitment is not as per the guidelines laid down in the Uttarakhand Primary
Teacher Service Rules 2012- amended 2013.