Gujarat State Government to Hire 17,200 Teachers: All TET Exams from 2011 to 2023 Valid
State Government Announces Recruitment of 24,700 Teachers Following Protests
The contractual recruitment of “Gyan Sahayaks” by the state government has sparked outrage among candidates who have passed the TAT-TET exams. In response, these candidates organized aggressive protests in Gandhinagar on June 18 and 19, 2024. Within 24 hours of these protests, the state government announced the recruitment of 7,500 teachers. Today, they have announced the recruitment of an additional 17,200 teachers. This decision was made in a cabinet meeting held today. Consequently, a total of 24,700 teachers will be recruited. Currently, there are 42,759 vacant positions, of which 24,700 will be filled, leaving 18,059 positions still vacant.
Spokesperson Minister Rishikesh Patel stated that following the announcement of the recruitment of 7,500 teachers, the government has decided to increase this number by 17,200, resulting in a total recruitment of 24,700 new teachers. A timetable for this recruitment has been established. This will be the largest recruitment drive undertaken to date. The entire recruitment process is planned to be completed in stages by December 2024. Recruitment will consider all TET exams conducted between 2011 and 2023. Candidates with certificates can apply, and recruitment will be based on merit. The dual-level aptitude test conducted in 2023 will be considered according to the resolution dated 29-4-23.
In a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, a schedule for the time-bound recruitment of teachers at various levels in state government primary schools, government-aided secondary, and higher secondary schools was finalized. Approximately 24,700 teachers are expected to be recruited in various stages from August 2024 to December 2024.
Recruitment of 1200 Headmasters to Be Announced
State government spokesperson, Minister Rishikesh Patel, provided detailed information about the significant recruitment plan led by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel’s administration. According to the proposed recruitment calendar, approximately 1200 Headmasters (HMAT PASS candidates) and around 2200 vacancies for old teachers in granted schools will be filled, with the likely announcement date being 01/08/2024. In government higher secondary schools and granted higher secondary schools, approximately 4000 teaching assistant positions (TAT HIGHER SECONDARY PASS candidates) will be available, with 750 positions for government higher secondary teaching assistants and 3250 for granted higher secondary teaching assistants, with the likely announcement date being 01/09/2024.
Recruitment of 3500 Teaching Assistants in Government and Granted Secondary Schools
Additionally, a potential announcement on 01/10/2024 will be made for 3500 teaching assistant positions in government and granted secondary schools. This includes 500 positions for government secondary teaching assistants (TAT SECONDARY PASS candidates) and 3000 positions for granted secondary teaching assistants (TAT SECONDARY PASS candidates).
In government upper primary schools, around 7000 vacancies for Vidyasahayaks (TET-2 PASS candidates) in the Gujarati medium are likely to be announced on 01/11/2024. For other mediums, approximately 600 vacancies for Vidyasahayaks (TET-2 PASS candidates) in government upper primary schools are expected to be announced on the same date. Additionally, around 5000 vacancies for Vidyasahayaks (TET-1 PASS candidates) in the Gujarati medium and approximately 1200 vacancies for other mediums in government primary schools will likely be announced on 01/12/2024.
Validity Period of Candidates’ Certificates
The spokesperson minister stated that for this recruitment, the validity period of certificates for candidates who passed TET-1 and TET-2 in 2023 will be five years from the certificate issuance date or until a new framework under the National Education Policy-2020 is announced by the NCTE, whichever comes first. Additionally, certificates of teacher eligibility tests passed before 2023 will be considered valid for this recruitment process. However, after this recruitment, certificates from teacher eligibility tests passed before 2023 will no longer be considered valid.
Announcement of 7,500 Teacher Recruitment on June 19
Previously, on June 19, the state announced the permanent recruitment of approximately 7,500 teachers in government and grant-in-aid secondary and higher secondary schools over the next three months. Permanent recruitment will be based on the eligibility of candidates who passed TAT-Secondary and TAT-Higher Secondary in grant-in-aid schools.
Permanent Recruitment of 18,382 Teachers in the Last 10 Years
Minister Rishikesh Patel provided further details, stating that a total of 3,500 TAT-1 qualified candidates will be recruited in secondary schools, with 500 in government schools and 3,000 in grant-in-aid schools. For higher secondary schools, a total of 4,000 TAT-2 qualified candidates will be recruited, with 750 in government schools and 3,250 in grant-in-aid schools. Recently, around 1,500 HMAT principals have been recruited in the state’s grant-in-aid schools. Notably, a total of 18,382 teachers have been permanently recruited in the state over the last 10 years.
265,000 TET Pass and 118,000 TAT Pass Candidates Unemployed
Despite having passed the TET and TAT exams, a significant number of candidates remain unemployed due to the government’s decision to recruit Gyan Sahayaks instead of these qualified individuals. There are currently 265,000 TET pass and 118,000 TAT pass candidates without jobs in the state. These candidates have been protesting for the recruitment of teachers, but the government has not accepted their demands.
In March, Gujarat’s Education Minister Kuber Singh Dindor admitted in the legislative assembly that there are 39,395 TET-1 pass and 235,956 TET-2 pass candidates in the state. Additionally, 75,328 candidates have passed TAT for secondary education, 28,307 have passed the two-tier TAT for secondary education, and 15,253 have passed the two-tier TAT for higher secondary education. Overall, more than 383,000 candidates have passed the qualifying exams to become teachers. From 2011 to 2023, the government has recruited a total of 50,912 TET-TAT pass Vidya Sahayaks and 12,710 Gyan Sahayaks, amounting to 63,622 TET-TAT candidates.
17,500 Teachers Retired in the Last 8 Months
In 2019, then-Education Minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama announced the recruitment of 5,300 teachers. Of these, 2,650 were given appointment letters by then-Education Minister Jitu Vaghani in 2022, leaving 2,650 positions unfilled. Approximately 7,500 teachers retired on October 31, 2023, and 10,000 more retired on May 31, 2024. Thus, a total of 17,500 teachers have retired in the past eight months. However, only 2,650 of these positions have been filled, leaving 14,850 vacancies. The government has announced the recruitment of only 7,500 teachers, meaning 7,350 of these vacancies are due to recent retirements.
What is the Recruitment Controversy?
The Gujarat government has implemented the Gyan Sahayak scheme in government-granted primary, secondary, and higher secondary schools. Despite passing the TET and TAT exams, candidates only receive temporary jobs for 11 months. As a result, thousands of candidates did not show up for their appointments last year, leading to many vacancies. This year, the government is again proceeding with the recruitment of contract-based Gyan Sahayaks, which has already begun. This decision has caused significant discontent among the TET and TAT pass candidates.
