Opposition BJD takes on BJP-led government over schematic teacher appointment 

The Opposition Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Thursday targeted the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government over initiating the schematic teacher appointment system to appoint 18,788 teachers. 

On Wednesday, the Cabinet approved the proposal of the School and Mass Education department to recruit 18,788 junior teachers in primary and upper primary schools.

As per the allegation of the Opposition BJD, the BJP is following the same process for appointing the teachers that they were opposing to when they were in the Opposition. 

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“Once you were claiming it as wrong. Today, you are putting it before the people of Odisha as right. It is creating confusion,” said BJD MLA Debi Ranjan Tripathy. 

Responding to him, School and Mass Education Minister Nityananda Gond said, “Earlier they were selected through a process involving a Computer Based Test (CBT). Yesterday we took a decision to give employment to 18,788 teachers. The process is underway to fill up the vacant posts.”

Last year, the then government abolished the Siksha Sahayak post and implemented a schematic appointment system. Under this system, 93,000 aspirants sat for examination for 20,000 teacher posts in primary and Upper Primary schools. Of them, 18,788 candidates were featured in the merit list published in last January. Many aspirants also had moved the High Court over their exclusion from the merit list.

On June 18, the High Court gave its verdict in favour of the merit list. 

“We would like to request the Chief Minister to abolish the schematic system from Odisha,” said Sunil Kumar Pradhan, convenor, Prathamika Shikshaka Milita Mancha.