In a new development amid ongoing concerns over recruitment irregularities, the Education Department on Saturday issued a notification for hiring special educators for children with special needs at the primary level. However, skepticism looms over the transparency of the process, given past controversies in teacher recruitment in the state.
The state government issued the notification after receiving cabinet clearance, emphasising transparency in the selection process. The notification states that the panel for recruitment will be published transparently, and OMR sheets of candidates will be preserved for at least 10 years. However, given the history of recruitment scams in the education sector, many are questioning whether this promise of transparency will be upheld.
As per the notification, candidates must have passed TET, securing at least 80 marks. Currently, 2700 special educator posts remain vacant in primary education, and the recruitment process has finally been initiated.
The rules also specify that 10 per cent of the seats will be reserved for contractual special educators, and those working under the Samruddhi Shiksha Mission can apply until the age of 55. However, concerns remain over whether merit will be the sole criterion or if favoritism will influence the selection process.
Further skepticism arises from the state government’s requirement that candidates must hold a degree or diploma from an institution approved by the Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI). Although officials claim that transparency will be maintained, critics argue that past recruitment scandals suggest otherwise. According to the rules, the District Primary School Council will oversee the hiring process, but given past accusations of malpractice, many doubt whether the selection will truly be fair.
Despite the announcement, Swapan Mondal, general secretary of the Bengal Teachers and Education Workers’ Association, has cast doubts over the move.
"The state has issued a gazette notification for recruitment in primary after upper primary, but the real question is when the actual recruitment will happen. The government has been delaying recruitment under various pretexts, including reservations for OBCs. We want the recruitment notification to be issued without further delay," he said.
This initiative marks the first time the state government is directly recruiting special educators instead of relying on contractual hiring. However, given the past instances of corruption in teacher recruitment, many fear that this process could be marred by the same fraudulent practices. Until the recruitment process is completed with absolute transparency, doubts will continue to persist over whether the hiring of special educators is truly based on merit or another chapter in the state’s ongoing recruitment scams.
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