Edu dept’s TGT recruitment drive under way to fill 303 posts

Chandigarh: The department of school education started its week-long recruitment drive for Trained Graduate Teacher (TGT) on Saturday. On the first day, candidates alleged expulsion for two-minute delays while the department has urged punctuality.
With the drive commencing Saturday, the department aims to fill 303 vacancies spread across 12 disciplines.These include 136 positions for general category, 55 for SC, 82 for OBC, and 30 earmarked for EWS candidates.
Applications for the TGT posts were accepted from February 26 to March 18, setting the stage for a rigorous selection process. The initial phase of examinations kicked off on Saturday, June 22, at 10am across 85 centres, mainly at govt schools throughout the city.
Out of an expected 45,347 applicants, 27,442 attended the exams on time. The candidates claimed that strict adherence to rules resulted in denying exam opportunities to many of those arriving just two minutes late.
“Around 20 students faced this issue at the examination centre in Sector 28B with some initially allowed entry, but were later expelled, impacting their future adversely. It is not their fault that due to traffic and other issues, they were late by 5-10 minutes,” said Rajat, whose brother was one of such candidates.
Meanwhile, the officials from the department of school education said, “To avoid any ambiguity, entry time at the examination centre is explicitly mentioned on the admit card of each candidate. At times and even today some applicants came late at the examination centre. No matter how genuine the cause of the delay is, we have issued clear instructions that no late entry is to be allowed. We are here to assist the candidates in whatever way we can, but we cannot allow late entries to the examination hall or any such deviations that will jeopardise the integrity of the examination.”
Officials reported no cases of malpractice or irregularities during the examination. The entire process, from opening sealed question booklets to the videography of identification and sealing procedures, was meticulously monitored. Around 106 police personnel were deputed to undertake the frisking process and provide security to examination centres while independent observers ensured the security and fairness of the examination centres, with CCTV and jammers in place.
Looking ahead, the recruitment exercise will continue until June 28, with subsequent exams scheduled for subjects like science (non-medical) and social science on June 23. An answer key is slated for release by July 1, providing candidates until July 3 at 5 pm to lodge any objections.