Tamil medium candidates appeal to govt. to consider them for jobs

Government amended the PSTM Act (2010) through a G.O. in December and the amendment made ineligible candidates who had pursued a part of their schooling in English medium, out of its ambit

Candidates who pursued their education in Tamil medium institutions want the State government to revisit its decision on eligibility for government jobs.

In December, the State government brought an amendment to the Act enacted in 2010 regarding recruitment of candidates from Tamil medium schools to government jobs.

Accordingly the revised State’s Act on appointment on preferential basis in the services under The State of Persons Studied in Tamil Medium Act, 2010 (Amendment) 2020, announced that government jobs would be provided only to those who had pursued their education in Tamil medium up to the education qualification required for the post.

The amendment made ineligible candidates who had pursued a part of their schooling, mostly primary schooling in English medium, out of its ambit.

Pal Pandi, a candidate who did his Class I and II in an English medium school and subsequently moved to a Tamil medium school and later completed his graduation by pursuing a degree in Tamil medium, said thousands like him have been affected by the new amendment.

Vignesh Kumar K., who is planning to appear for Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission exams, is also in a similar predicament. “We are trying for TNPSC Group 2 exams. We had hoped to get a government job by studying in Tamil medium. The new amendment had denied us the opportunity,” he said.

The candidates said the government could frame eligibility criteria as it had done in the case of admission to professional courses for government school students. They suggest that if the eligibility for a job is a basic degree then the government could prescribe that the candidates must have studied in Tamil medium from Class 6 onward till graduation in Tamil medium. Likewise, if the eligibility for a job is Class 10, then the government could revise the norms to include only those candidates who had studied in Tamil medium from Classes 6 to 10. “This way all candidates who studied in Tamil medium would benefit,” Mr. Pal Pandi pointed out.

The candidates have been trying to reach out to the MLAs and Ministers in their respective regions to urge the government to reconsider its order.