Differently abled candidates who had cleared Teachers Eligibility Test (TET) observed a day-long hunger strike on the premises of Gandhi Memorial Museum here on Monday demanding the government to immediately fill vacancies meant for them.
Stating that there were backlog vacancies of 1,107 posts for differently abled teachers since 2007, the protestors demanded that their recruitment be given priority. “The announcement of a special TET, which would enable us to serve as teachers affiliated to government institutions, gave us hope and we were sure of securing permanent jobs. But despite having cleared the examination in May 2014, we are yet to be recruited,” said M. Kumar one of the protestors.
Squatting in front of the Gandhi statue on the museum premises, they held up placards stating that they were following Gandhian principles and thus resorting to a non-violent protest.
They said 934 differently abled persons cleared the Special TET, but a vast majority of them were still waiting to be recruited. “Most of us do not have decent jobs despite being postgraduates and we have been waiting for opportunities for a long time. In the meagre income we receive from our temporary jobs, it is impossible to make both ends meet,” said one of the protestors.
“Despite numerous petitions having been submitted to the district administration, no action has been taken to speed up the recruitment process,” they said.
