Row over Madrasa recruitment exams

Statesman News Service

MALDA, March 9: Ignoring public interest litigation filed in Calcutta High Court the state today conducted examination for recruiting teachers for the state Madrasa across the state including Malda district amid protest from the youths belonging to the schedule caste and schedule tribes.A total of 686 teachers will be recruited for 506 Madrasas of the state. Minister in charge of Madrasha Education Mr Abdus Sattar told reporters over phone, “More than 94 percent candidates turned up in today’s examination”. No untoward incident was reported, he added. It was decided last year that instead of School Service Commission, Madrasha teachers would be recruited by a separate committee approved by state minority commission. Accordingly, initiative was taken in last October to take a separate written test for the candidates applying for the madrasha teachers. However, in the recruitment procedure there was no provision for the reservation for the SC, ST and OBC candidates.This infuriated the organisations for the SC, ST and OBC youths. One public interest litigation (PIL) case was lodged in the High Court demanding the reservation. The written test was postponed on the face of the case. Later it was known two more cases were lodged with similar demand of reservation.Bekar Yuba Sangram Samity approved by Confederation of OBC, SC, ST and Minorities of West Bengal lodged a protest against this examination.On 5 March they had submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister claiming the reservation as per Indian government rule.Mr. Susanta Mandal, secretary of Samity, said, “How can this examination be held when the matter is still sub-judice?” “When govt is spending money from public fund to recruit teachers they have to follow the reservation policy as well. Otherwise, candidates falling under reserved category would certainly be deprived of the justice”, he said. Mr Sattar said, “We have formed a committee of seven members headed by Dr Osman Ghani to conduct examination.”He further said, “There is no sub-judice matter regarding this examination. We have proceeded only after talking to advocate general.”However, Mandal raised the question about the authority of such committee. “When you are by passing SSC with a new committee, does it have all the approval of President?”Meanwhile, Anagrasar Samaj Kalyan Samity also hinted to move to court again to stall the process of recruitment if the reservation policy is not cleared.