Dual policies affecting degree lecturer post aspirants

APPSC fixes the upper age limit for general candidates at 36 years, while it is 39 years in other State recruitment tests

Different rules being followed with regard to age fixation for the State government jobs is resulting in thousands of educated unemployed candidates losing an opportunity to appear for the recruitment examinations.

Candidates aspiring for the degree lecturer posts are the sufferers with dual policies of the government. The APPSC has fixed the upper age limit for the general candidates as 36 years while it is 39 years for all other State government recruitment tests, including the teachers' posts in government schools as well as the newly proposed model schools. Similarly, the age limit is 40 years for the Navodaya Vidyalayas.

The degree lecturer posts are being filled as per the guidelines of the University Grants Commission (UGC), which interestingly, doesn't prescribe any upper age limit for its posts. “When all the recruitment tests have 39 years why should we suffer with 36 years,” asks the Age Relaxation Struggle Committee that has been leading the agitation since the notification was released in December 2011.

“The government is following all the UGC rules in this recruitment except the age factor. It should do justice to us relaxing the age,” says Srinivas, an aspirant. Since Ph.D. or NET or SLET is mandatory for these posts most students have crossed the 36 years upper age limit while pursuing their Ph.D. Moreover, SLET was not held in the State since 1998 and most candidates had to pursue Ph.D. to get eligibility.

Interestingly, the government could not fill up 338 posts out of the 1,017 posts it notified for in 2008 due to lack of eligible candidates. The government has notified to fill up 656 posts this time.

5,000 candidates

There are more than 5,000 general candidates who will lose the opportunity if the age limit was not increased this time. Thousands more from BC, SC and ST communities will benefit as their upper age limit will automatically be raised to 44 years.

The candidates appeal to the State government to give orders relaxing the age limit before March 29 when the last date for submitting the applications comes to an end.