Nearly 16,000 teachers to be appointed in Assam by 2018

Regarding Assamese language, Sarma said a notification will be brought "very soon" to make the subject mandatory till Class X.

Guwahati, April 19: Assam government on Wednesday said it will appoint nearly 16,000 teachers by next year with the Centre relaxing norms for the state regarding qualifications for teaching jobs.

"We have 19,709 people who have passed TET ((Teacher's Eligibility Test) exam. Out of that, nearly 80 per cent will be recruited by 2018," Assam Education minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said at a press conference.

He said the Centre has relaxed the norms only for Assam regarding Diploma in Elementary Education and Bachelor in Education qualifications for appointing teachers.

"As of now, we have 14,331 posts. During the current fiscal, another 2,000-3,000 new vacancies will come up," Sarma said.

He said around an additional Rs 600 crore will be required annually after appointing these teachers.

The Minister said a total of 88,571 persons have passed TET in the six rounds of examinations across Assam, of which over 68,800 have already been appointed.

Regarding Assamese language, Sarma said a notification will be brought "very soon" to make the subject mandatory till Class X.

"Those who do not want to have these subjects, will have a choice between Bodo or Bengali languages. Bodo will be for tribal areas and Bengali for Barak Valley," he added.

PTI