Cuttack, March 8: Orissa High Court today refused to grant a stay order on the recruitment process, which is under way for engaging sikshya sahayaks across the state.

The single judge bench of Justice H.S. Bhalla did not pass any interim order following assurances from the state school and mass education department that “no appointment order will be issued till the next date”.

The assurance was given in a counter affidavit while stating “a draft merit list has been prepared with the target to finalise the recruitment or engagement process by March 22, 2011”. Taking note of it Justice Bhalla fixed March 21 for next hearing on the case.

Orissa government’s guideline for engagement of sikshya sahayaks has come under judicial scrutiny after a batch of writ petitions were filed challenging the guidelines prescribed by the state school and mass education department’s resolution issued on January 10, 2011.

More than a hundred aspirants had filed the writ petition seeking judicial intervention on different grounds. The grievances mostly related to eligibility criteria such as, fixation of Plus Two or its equivalent as minimum qualification, maximum age limit of 42 years. Some of the petitions have questioned the rational for limiting an applicant to only one district. The petitioners had sought relaxation of minimum qualification to matriculation, and non-fixation of outer age-limit and allowing an applicant to submit applications in more than one district.

The high court had earlier issued notices asking the state government to clarify its stand on the issues raised by the petitioners. When the petitions came up for hearing today it was pointed out on behalf of the school and mass education department that the state government had decided to launch a massive recruitment drive of sikshya sahayaks to implement the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 that had been enforced since April 1, 2010. Under the drive 24,000 sikshya sahayaks had been planned for appointment in all the 30 districts across the state. All the district collectors had been asked to complete the process of recruitment by March 2011.

It was further argued on behalf of the school and mass education department that elementary cadre rules are not applicable to sikshya sahayaks as they are not primary school teachers. Besides, the state government had little to do with the Plus Two minimum qualification norm as the National Teachers Training Institute had fixed it, which is the nodal academic authority.

According to the school and mass education department’s resolution on guidelines for engagement of sikshya sahayaks , they will be engaged in each education district by the respective zilla parishad by a selection committee to be headed by the collector-cum-chief executive officer of zilla parishad as chairman, district inspector of schools, district project coordinator (SSA), district employment officer and the district welfare officer.

The district project coordinator (SSA) will act as the convener of the committee, who shall prepare the draft select list and place before the Zilla Parishad (ZP) with due approval of Collector.