Haryana offers elbow room to guest teachers

CHANDIGARH: In its attempt to appease the protesting guest teachers, the Haryana Cabinet today decided to give “teaching experience” a weightage of eight per cent in the recruitment of teachers in all categories — primary teachers (PRTs), trained graduate teachers (TGTs) and post-graduate teachers (PGTs).

Geetanjali Gayatri

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 30

In its attempt to appease the protesting guest teachers, the Haryana Cabinet today decided to give “teaching experience” a weightage of eight per cent in the recruitment of teachers in all categories — primary teachers (PRTs), trained graduate teachers (TGTs) and post-graduate teachers (PGTs). The Cabinet also decided to close five toll plazas in the state and approved a policy decision against charging toll in municipal limits.

Sources said Haryana Education Minister Ram Bilas Sharma zeroed in on giving the weightage to teaching experience to pacify the guest teachers. The protesting teachers were promised regularisation of service in the party’s election manifesto.

Sharma, at the teachers’ protest meetings before the Assembly elections, had announced that, if elected to power, regularising the service of 15,500 guest teachers would be among the first decisions of the BJP government. Contrary to that, following a court order, the government had to dismiss 3,700 guest teachers, resulting in statewide protests. As per the criteria, of the 100 marks, 80 per cent has been kept for written test while eight per cent for experience.

The weightage will be given 1 per cent for each completed year of service in the respective category, subject to maximum of 8 per cent. The interview will carry 12 per cent marks.

The academic qualifications for the post of PGTs for direct recruitment is at least 50 per cent marks in the post-graduation in subjects concerned and B.Ed from a recognised university, matric with Hindi or Sanskrit or 10+2/BA/MA with Hindi as one of the subject and the certificate of having qualified Haryana Teacher Eligibility Test (HTET) or School Teachers Eligibility Test (STET) and a consistent good academic record.

The Cabinet also decided to close five toll plazas and took a policy decision against charging tolls on roads where investment on their improvement is less than Rs 15 crore and these are in bad shape.

Under the policy, it was decided to shift toll points which are in municipal limits and close toll points on roads, which are subsequently notified as national highways.

As a result of this policy decision, the government has decided to close five toll plazas (TPs) on such roads which have been repaired or strengthened with an expenditure of less than Rs 15 crore or where the toll collection is less than Rs 1 crore.

Two toll plazas TP-47 – Tosham to Hisar road (26.7 km) — and TP-48 – Tosham to Bhiwani road (70 km) — will be closed with immediate effect as the investment is less than Rs 15 crore. Two toll plazas TP-10 on Budhlada-Ratia-Fatehabad road (near Punjab Border) and TP-20 on Hansi-Tosham-Sodhiwas road near village Sodhiwas were approved for closure on August 5, 2015 and July 16, 2016, respectively, due to the toll collection of less than Rs 1 crore per annum. The toll plaza TP-37 on Ferozepur Zhirka-Biwan road will be closed with effect from November 1, 2015.

The government also decided to transfer the work of collection of 24 toll points (TPs) in the state from the Haryana State Roads and Bridges Development Corporation to Public Works Department.