Port Blair, July 18: CPI (M) has demanded upper age relaxation of 8 years to all the candidates for the recruitment of Graduate Trained Teacher and Primary School Teacher in the Education Department as was done in 2013 and 2016.  In a letter sent to the Lt Governor, Andaman & Nicobar Islands,  D. Ayyappan, Secretary, CPI (M) A & N State Organising Committee while  appreciating the decision of the A & N Administration to advertise the vacant posts of Graduate Trained Teacher and Primary School Teacher in the Education Department,  brought to the notice of the Lt Governor that the upper age limit for these posts has been fixed as 30 years, with a 2 year age relaxation available for all categories of posts as per the order of the Administration.

Ayyappan stated in the letter that the recruitment for the posts of Graduate Trained Teacher is being carried out after a period of nearly seven years, the last recruitment notice having published in 2016. Due to administrative reasons, the recruitment for the posts of GTT and PST was delayed.  He said that a large number of qualified local youth, who became over-aged due to passage of time without getting any opportunity to participate in any recruitment examinations, are unable to apply for these posts. It was not their fault that they did not get any opportunity to compete. CPI (M) told the Lt. Governor that if these candidates do not get a chance to compete for the posts of GTT and PST advertised now, they will never get a government job at the very place they were born and brought up.

Ayyappan drew the attention of the Lt Governor to the fact that during the recruitment conducted in 2016 for the posts of GTT and PST, the Hon’ble Lt. Governor was kind enough to grant a one-time upper age relaxation of 8 years for both male and female candidates. Similarly, for the recruitment of GTT and PST advertised in 2013, relaxation of upper age limit to the tune of 3 years for male and 8 years for female candidates was accorded to enable such over-aged candidates to apply for these posts.  

CPI (M) Secretary stated in the letter that the upper age relaxation of 2 years granted across the board for all categories of posts will not be of much use for those highly qualified candidates having post-graduation, B.Ed, D.Ed, etc. as many of such candidates might have crossed the age limit of 32 years. For these over-aged candidates, there may not be any further chance to compete for any recruitment.