Bhubaneswar, May 10: The state government will engage retired teachers in primary schools under the Teacher on Call initiative that has been renamed as Atithi Sikhyak (guest teacher).
The initiative aims to meet the shortage of teachers in the state-run schools.
The Odisha Primary Education Programme Authority has assigned the block education officers to prepare a list of retired teachers, who have interest to again join the primary schools. They will be asked take classes from July 2017 till March 2018.
"We have written to all the district project co-ordinators. A panel consisting of the retired teachers, who will be interested to deliver their duties, will be set up. Further initiative will be taken after getting the list," said the authority's project director Mahendra Mallick.
As the state government wants to appoint them from July 1, the education programme authority has directed the officers to immediately prepare the list.
The BEd and Certificate in Teaching (CT) candidates have protested against the step as thousands of qualified youths remain unemployed. They demanded fresh recruitments against the vacant posts and said there were more than 60,000 trained BEd and CT candidates in the state waiting for jobs.
"Earlier, the scheme was implemented in high schools, but it turned out to be failure. Now, the government wants to implement the scheme in primary schools - which will again not work out," said Sulochana Barik, a member of the Trained Unemployed CT and BEd Degree Holders' Association.
Demanding for immediate withdrawal of the decision, the association threatened to launch statewide agitation against the retired teachers' appointment. "The initiative will make Right to Education Act successful. As the appointment process for Sikhya Sahayak initiated in 2016 is on hold, this alternative step has been taken," said Mallick.
The Block Grant Teachers and Employees' Association has also announced a demonstration protesting against the decision.
"The decision is an insult to the entire teacher community and has been launched with an intention to paralyse the education system. The government's intention is to avoid regular employment in this department," said association member Sayasachi Mohapatra.
