More than a month after the commencement of the academic year, the School Education Department has almost completed the process of recruiting Vidya Volunteers on a temporary basis to utilise their services in the schools run by the State government and local bodies in the current academic year.
The move is expected to help overcome the shortage of regular teachers in many State-run schools to some extent. The Vidya Volunteers will continue in the posts till the last working day of the current academic year or up to the time the newly recruited regular teachers join duty, sources said.
As against 701 Vidya Volunteer posts notified, the authorities provisionally selected 674 eligible candidates based on the roster points allotted to the mandals under the aegis of the District Level Committee as per the stipulated norms. Hike in honorarium from ₹8,000 per month to ₹12,000 per month appears to be one of the motivating factors for several well-qualified candidates to opt the Vidya Volunteer posts.
An overwhelming number of little over 5,000 candidates have applied for the 701 Vidya Volunteer posts in 23 mandals of the predominantly tribal populated district.
The process of verification of the certificates of the provisionally selected candidates got delayed due to severe shortage of regular Mandal Educational Officers in the district, sources said.
In Khammam district, as many as 453 Vidya Volunteers have been selected and asked to report to the School Management Committees for entering into an agreement to offer their services as per the norms.
When contacted, the District Educational Officer, Bhadradri-Kothagudem, Vasanthi told The Hindu that the process of appointing the eligibile Vidya Volunteers against the existing vacancies in the State-run schools across the district is set to be completed in a day or two.
The School Management Committees will engage the services of the Vidya Volunteers as per the guidelines with the approval of the District level Committee.
