Recruitment for aided schools in limbo as differently abled hiring process hits roadblock

Thiruvananthapuram: Four months have passed after the state government took over the recruitment of differently abled candidates in aided schools, but no follow-up action has been initiated on the matter.

As per the existing norms, aided schools will receive government approval for their recruitments only after they appoint differently abled candidates. However, through an order issued in March, the government took over the recruitment of differently abled candidates in aided schools directly.

To facilitate recruitment, the government formed official committees at both the state and district levels. These district-level committees prepare rank lists based on employment exchange registrations and recommend candidates for appointment. However, the final recruitment is carried out by the respective school managers.

School managements have raised concerns over the inefficiency of these committees. They allege that the committees have failed to provide a list of eligible differently abled candidates.

As of April, there were an estimated 3,025 vacancies for differently abled candidates across all aided schools in the state. Of these, 580 posts were filled by school managers through the employment exchange, leaving 2,445 vacancies still unfilled.

However, the number of differently abled candidates with the required teaching qualifications currently registered in employment exchanges stands at just 1,040, which is far short of the actual demand. This mismatch has led school managers to question how recruitment can proceed when there are simply not enough qualified candidates available.

With the government yet to resolve the deadlock, more than 12,000 teaching appointments across the state remain in limbo, awaiting official approval.