Saturday, September 17, 2011

An aptitude test awaits aspiring teachers in Gujarat

Transparency and an end to manipulation can be expected in the selection ofteachers and head masters now as Gujarat government has introduced Teachers Aptitude Test (TAT) in their recruitment process.

The test will carry 70 per cent weightage, while educational qualifications will have 30 %. The test will be conducted by the Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board (GSHSEB), Gandhinagar, at least once every year.

A body called the Gujarat State Secondary and Higher Secondary School Educational Staff Recruitment Selection Committee will function as the selection committee.

The body will ascertain the number of posts of head masters and teachers for which recruitment is to be made, from the inputs given by the respective district education officers.

The selection committee will be headed by the commissioner of schools. The vice-chairman of GSHSEB, a state government officer of deputy secretary rank, educationists and representatives of the school management associations will be its members.

Hasmukh Adhia, principal secretary of state education department said that TAT has been introduced to eliminate possible malpractices in the teachers' recruitment.

"Earlier, there were many complaints about irregularities and corruption.Now, the process will be transparent as candidates will be judged on their performance in the test and their educational qualifications. There will be no personal interviews and the selection committee will prepare the merit list of the applicants," he said.

Giving details of the test Adhia said, "Total marks of TAT will be 250. There will be two papers. A paper of 150 marks will check aptitude of applicants to become teachers. It will also check their general knowledge, language skills, etc. This paper will be common for all the candidates."

"The second paper of 100 marks will be of the subject in which the candidates have got their degrees,” he said.

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