Punjab begins process to hire 8,393 teachers for pre-primary classes

As per the letter issued by the Directorate of Recruitment, the required educational qualification for the applicants is 12th pass or at least 45 per cent marks in equivalent examination and diploma in nursery teacher education programme. (Express Photo by Praveen Khanna/ Representational)

The Punjab education department has released an advertisement for the recruitment of 8,393 regular teachers for pre-primary classes in government schools.

School Education Minister Vijay Inder Singla said that government will recruit regular teachers for pre-primary classes, which were started in state run schools in November 2017. Punjab, which was the first state to start pre-primary classes in government schools for children from 3 to 6 years, will also be the first state to recruit regular teachers for such classes, he added.

Singla said that online applications have been invited from eligible applicants. He added that the department has also given a chance to education providers, education volunteers, employment guarantee scheme (EGS) volunteers, alternative innovative education (AIE) volunteers and special trainers (STR) volunteers to get regular appointments as they have been working on contractual or adhoc basis for several years. He said that special age relaxation has also been given to these volunteers.

As per the letter issued by the Directorate of Recruitment, the required educational qualification for the applicants is 12th pass or at least 45 per cent marks in equivalent examination and diploma in nursery teacher education programme or any other equivalent course along with Punjabi as a compulsory or elective subject in class X. Age limit for these posts has been fixed from 18 to 37 years. The education providers, EGS, AIE and STR volunteers already working in schools have been given a relaxation equal to the service rendered in the upper age limit. Divorcee women, widows, Scheduled Castes and Backward Class candidates have been given a relaxation of 5 years in the upper age limit.

Of the total 8,393 posts advertised for pre-primary teachers, 3,273 are in general category, 840 for Scheduled Castes (M&B), 839 each for Scheduled Castes (R&O) and Backward Classes, 168 each for Scheduled Castes (Ex-Servicemen-M&B), Scheduled Castes (Ex-Servicemen-R&O), and Backward Classes (Ex-Servicemen), 167 for Sportsperson (General), 42 each for Scheduled Castes (Sports-M&B), Scheduled Castes (Sports-R&O), 84 for Freedom Fighters, and 588 for Ex-Servicemen (General). For Handicapped (Visually Impaired, Hearing Impaired, Orthopedically Disabled and Intellectually Disabled or Multiple Disability), there are 84 posts in each category and 839 posts have been reserved for the economically weaker section (EWS) of general category.

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