KSTA flays rehabilitation package for teachers

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The pro-CPM Kerala School Teachers’ Association (KSTA) has come out against the rehabilitation package for teachers rendered jobless following the fall in student enrolments alleging that it will freeze appointments to teaching posts for the next three years.KSTA general secretary M Shajahan said that as per the package, teachers would have to qualify in the proposed Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) for being considered for new vacancies. It is feared that the PSC test for new appointments will take time. This delay can be avoided if steps are taken to conduct the TET and PSC tests this year itself, he said.As per a clause in the package, steps for PSC appointments will commence only after the staff fixation in 2013-14. However, aided school managers can make appointments during the period which will lead to corruption. The clause that appointments will be made after the staff fixation in 2013-14 will result in a situation in which all appointments to vacancies arising from retirement will be on temporary basis, he said. Government schools, on the other hand, will have to fill vacancies on temporary basis through redeployment, he said. As per the protection order announced in 1997, protected teachers will be redeployed in aided schools. These teachers are not appointed to permanent vacancies in government schools through redeployment. The recommendation on making temporary appointments from employment exchange in case of delay in appointment from the PSC list would sabotage appointments from the PSC list, he said.