Punjab News Badal, ETT teachers reach ‘compromise’

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Prime VIP
Chandigarh, June 30

State Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal is working out an amicable solution with unemployed youth to contain protests held by them across the state. Badal, who held a meeting with two factions of elementary teacher training (ETT) diploma holders for over an hour, is reported to have resolved the issue pertaining to their employment in primary schools.

The CM has also announced a mercy chance to clear eligibility test in six months to the agitating computer teachers. They have also been allowed to remain in service for the next six months.

Sources told The Tribune that two factions of ETT diploma holders, one who have received their diplomas from institutes in Punjab and the others who studied in Jammu, met the CM at his residence late last night and discussed their problem. After the meeting, both factions reportedly agreed to the suggestion that 3,428 vacancies of ETT teachers should be filled on the basis of merit with 70 per cent posts reserved for those who had passed from Punjab and 30 per cent to those from Jammu institutions.

It was further decided that in case there were not enough candidates to take up 70 per cent jobs reserved for those who had obtained ETT diplomas from Punjab, these jobs would be thrown open to those who had studied in Jammu.

The state Education Minister, Dr Upinderjit Kaur, has been calling for a ban on recruitment in government jobs for those who have passed ETT diplomas from institutions in Jammu. Even in her communication to Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Kapil Sibal, she has asked the Centre to derecognise Jammu-based institutions giving ETT diplomas as these were merely “teaching shops”. The Centre, however, expressed its inability to act against these “teaching shops”, as they were recognised by Jammu University.

Meanwhile, Upinderjit Kaur has said that she received complete support on the issue and the entire government machinery was unanimously of the view that students of Jammu institutions were not well trained as those who passed from colleges in Punjab. She added that the Punjab Cabinet had unanimously passed the filling of 3,428 posts of ETT teacher and that she had full support of her Cabinet colleagues on the issue.

The Punjab Government was not filling the posts of the ETT teachers as two warring factions from among job aspirants (one from Punjab and other who studied in Jammu) had set up different pre-conditions for the selection. Students, who studied in Punjab, said students from institutions in Jammu scored much higher grades because these institutions allotted marks for monetary consecrations rather than based on exams. But at the same time, they had not agreed to an entrance test for the selection.

While the issue appears to have been resolved, there is no official word from either of the ETT groups accepting or denying the formula suggested by the Chief Minister.
 
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