Assam govt to recruit 10,000 more TET qualified teachers next week

Assam education minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday said the BJP-led state government has already recruited 17,000 TET qualified elementary teachers in the state and the state government is going to recruit 10,000 more TET qualified teachers in next week.

While distributed the appointment letters to 6172 TET qualified teachers at elementary schools under Sarva Siksha Abhiyan, Assam during a ceremonial programme held at Veterinary College playground at Khanapara in Guwahati, the Assam education minister said that a section of intellectuals of Assam based in Guwahati are trying to divide Assam again.

Himanta Biswa Sarma accused the intellectual section that they are trying to make a separate propaganda for it from the capital city of Assam.

“The BJP-led state government is committed to fulfill the promises given by the saffron party before the assembly election to the people of Assam. We will do for greater interest of the state,” Sarma said.

The Assam education minister expressed happiness that TET has made the teacher recruitment process in the government schools completely transparent and eliminated all scopes for corruption from the system.

On the other hand, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said that, teachers must commit themselves to the cause of creating capable citizens for the country as primary school teachers are the agents of change for the society who can instill good qualities in the students from a nascent stage.

Urging the newly appointed teachers to take up the responsibility of spreading light of education in the far flung and remote areas of the state, Sonowal said that teaching is not a mere profession but an opportunity to serve the society and to become partners in nation building by shaping the future generations of the country and he urged the teachers perform their duties with Gyan (Knowledge), Bhakti (Devotion) and Boiragi (Sacrifice). 
          
“For building a society based on equality where all people are empowered to lead a life of dignity and to meet modern day challenges like corruption and increasing crimes, the education system must produce citizens with high moral values and integrity,” Sonowal said.

Saying that the government is striving to facilitate an environment for growth and economic progress in the state so that meritorious and brilliant students do not need to go outside the state for finding employment and live a better life, Sonowal informed that state government’s plans to build International Trade Centre at Guwahati with twin towers of 65 floors and expansion of the Guwahati City for creating State Capital Region are steps towards making Guwahati the gateway to Southeast Asia.

“The Trade Centre will bring global industrial players to the state who will set up their bases here for doing business in South East Asia and it will create a lot of employment opportunities for the youth of the state,” Sonowal said.
      
Reiterating Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision for the Northeast region to become the new engine of growth for the country, the Assam CM said that some elements are trying to foment trouble in the state by inciting the people of different religious faiths and linguistic groups against each other and he called on the people to maintain age old peace and harmony to defeat all such designs of forces inimical to the state’s growth and development.
      
“It was our electoral promise to recruit 28 thousand TET qualified teachers and we are on our way to fulfil that promise,” Sonowal said.

He also said that an ACS Training Centre would be set up at Umrangsu in Dima Hasao district covering an area of 1000 bighas which would be able to provide training to not only Assam Civil Service officers but also to officers of other state civil services as well.

On the other hand, urging all TET qualified elementary school teachers to enrol themselves at the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) website by September 15, 2017 for obtaining D.El.Ed. (Diploma in Elementary Education) within March 2019, the Assam education minister stated that without the Diploma all those teachers working in the state would have to lose their jobs as Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009 has mandated teachers to have D.El.Ed as minimum qualification for teaching from April 1, 2019.

A One Day Orientation Programme for Newly Recruited TET passed Teachers of Elementary Education was also organised by Sarba Siksha Abhiyan, Assam in collaboration with Krishna Kanta Handique State Open University.

Commissioner and Secretary of Elementary Education Department Pritam Saikia, Commissioner and Secretary of Secondary Education Department R.C. Jain, Mission Director SSA, Assam Aruna Rajoria, Vice Chancellor of KKHSOU Hitesh Deka were also present on the occasion among others.

(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)