In a disheartening development for job seekers in Uttarakhand, the system has shattered the dreams of many aspiring teachers. Despite a government order, the Uttarakhand Subordinate Services Selection Commission (UKSSSC) failed to provide age relaxation to certain candidates in the recruitment process for 1,544 Assistant Teacher LT posts. The order, issued just a day before the exam, left many hopeful candidates excluded from the recruitment drive due to age constraints.
According to Surendra Rawat, Secretary of UKSSSC, implementing such a directive after exam admission cards had been issued was simply not feasible. Back in 2020, applications for Assistant Teacher LT positions in the Education Department were invited, primarily targeting candidates with a B.Ed degree in the arts.
Age Limit Challenges After Four-Year Delay
The recruitment process was initially open to B.Ed holders in the arts. Later, the scope expanded to include non-B.Ed candidates. However, after the exam took place on August 8, 2021, the process was delayed due to litigation, resulting in the cancellation of the recruitment in 2023 following a court case filed by some candidates.
After four long years, the UKSSSC conducted a new exam on August 18, 2024, for the same 1,544 Assistant Teacher posts. Yet, many candidates who had waited during this time were unable to participate due to exceeding the age limit. The long delay in the recruitment process led several candidates to surpass the maximum age requirement.
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Age Relaxation Ordered But Too Late
On August 17, 2024, just one day before the scheduled exam, the government sent a letter to the commission requesting age relaxation for candidates who had applied back in 2020. The letter acknowledged that those candidates, who were eligible under the age limit at the time of their original application, were now over the age limit for the new recruitment and should be granted age relaxation or have their previous applications accepted.
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However, the timing of the order made it impossible to implement. According to Surendra Singh Rawat, Secretary of UKSSSC, the commission had anticipated this issue and had earlier raised the concern with the government, warning that many candidates would surpass the age limit. While candidates involved in the court case were accommodated in the recruitment process, others who had exceeded the age limit were excluded.
Rawat further explained that once the exam admission cards had been issued and application deadlines had passed, it was impossible to allow additional candidates to sit for the exam.
