Port Blair, Feb 29: Referring to the Vacancy Notice issued by Education Department A/769/2023 - RMIS CELL- EDN_AN /65435/1010 dated 14.02.2024 for 413 posts of Primary School Teacher in Various Mediums, the Member of Parliament, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Shri. Kuldeep Rai Sharma today mentioned that as per the notified recruitment rule for the posts of Primary School Teacher, the upper age limit for the candidates without any kind of relaxation is 30 (thirty) years which gets extended upto 40(forty) years in respect of DRMs, contract employees and teachers engaged under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan in terms of A&N Administration circular no. 45/1998-PW dated 19.09.2011.

In a letter addressed to the Hon’ble Lt. Governor, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, he pointed out that there are large number of educationally qualified and Central Teacher Eligibility Test (CTET) passed candidates serving in Public aided schools and Private schools who are not able to avail this lifetime opportunity to apply and seek public employment against the 413 vacant posts of Primary School Teacher as being overaged.

The Member of Parliament requested the Hon’ble Lt. Governor to take cognisance to the fact that during the past 10 years only on two occasions the post of Primary School Teacher was filled up and that too very few in number as a result of which such a large vacancy of PST to the tune of 413 posts has arisen.

He said that the administrative delay caused in filling up of these posts in regular intervals has given rise to large numbers of qualified local youth becoming over-aged due to passage of time without getting any opportunity to participate in any recruitment examinations.

He pointed out that the administration has given due consideration to the continuously serving DRMs, contract employees and teachers engaged under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan by extending their upper age limit upto 40 (forty) years in terms of A&N Administration circular no. 45/1998-PW dated 19.09.2011. As this benefit of age relaxation is not extended to the teachers serving in public aided and un- aided schools in the Islands, it had rendered many qualified teachers overaged for applying for posts, he added.

He mentioned that a similar scenario has occurred earlier also and to provide opportunity in public employment to the overaged unemployed youths of the Islands, the Hon’ble Lt. Governor in the year 2016 had granted an upper age relaxation of 8 years for both male and female candidates for the recruitment of GTT and PST.

In this regard the Member of Parliament requested to grant one-time relaxation of 8 (eight) years to the prescribed upper age limit of 30 (thirty) years for both male and female for recruitment to the 413 post of Primary School Teachers.