Pune: Teacher Recruitment Candidates Gherao Chandrakant Patil’s Convoy, Demand Justice
Pune, 11th January 2024: The convoy of Minister of Higher and Technical Education of Maharashtra Chandrakant Patil was surrounded by candidates waiting for teacher recruitment on Thursday, echoing chants of ‘Justice…Justice…’ The candidates, part of the DT Ed and B Ed Student Association, presented their demands to Patil, seeking fairness and merit-based selection in the ongoing teacher recruitment process.
The candidates have been staging protests in front of the Office of the Commissioner of Education since Monday, advocating for the selection of candidates based on merit rather than considering the medium of instruction (English or Marathi) in the recruitment process. The recent advertisement for the recruitment of 7,720 teachers in Maharashtra has triggered complaints from Marathi medium candidates, alleging favouritism towards English medium candidates.
Protestors argue that the School Education and Sports Department’s recruitment process disproportionately favours English medium candidates, and they demand a fair and unbiased selection process. The candidates seek equal opportunities and claim that the current process is prejudicial against those proficient in Marathi.
Patil, during his visit to the Education Commissioner’s office, encountered the protesting candidates. They surrounded his convoy, creating a tense atmosphere for a brief period. The candidates presented a notice of their demands to Patil, urging him to address their concerns and ensure a just recruitment process.
Santosh Magar, Founder President of the D.T.Ed, B.Ed Student Association, emphasized the importance of selecting candidates based on merit, asserting that prioritizing English medium candidates over meritorious Marathi medium candidates is unjust. The candidates are steadfast in their demand for a transparent and merit-driven teacher recruitment process.
