Visually impaired students want ban on teachers' recruitments lifted

AHMEDABAD: Blind People's Association (BPA) will see a unique celebration of 'Teachers' Day' on Monday.
At the BPA's Vastrapur campus, hundreds of visually challenged people who were denied teacher's job despite sound academic qualification will stage a protest.
The visually impaired are protesting over Gujarat government not recruiting them as teachers."The state government had in a circular last year barred totally blind and deaf persons from applying to the post of vidhyasahak. The move came when thousands of visually challenged students were being enrolled in BEd colleges across the state every year. Also, the Teacher's Eligibility Test (TET), which is a must for getting a teacher's job, is conducted for blind candidates," said Bhushan Purani of BPA, adding that many visually challenged students cleared TET with flying colors, but couldn't apply for the job due to the government's blanket ban.
"Let them apply and take a decision on hiring them during the interview, considering the candidate's potential. The Gujarat government's move is unconstitutional and against the spirit of equality," said Purani.
The gathering at BPA will have several academicians who not only overcame their disability, but also won many awards for 'best teacher' leaving behind others.
"BPA's founder member Dr Jagdish K Patel's birthday coincides with that of Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan. On the day, the visually challenged people will also showcase their teaching skills to the visitors at BPA. Also present will be aspirants who have been denied job despite having all the potential," said a BPA official.
Among the many successful visually challenged to display their teaching skills will be professor Bhaskar Mehta, former disability commissioner, Vishlesha Jani, who has won several awards, and Ranchod Soni, in-charge of BPA's technology lab.
"It is really upsetting that one hand, the state government is drumbeating about development and on the other, people with disability are treated as burden of the society. No other state in the country has barred visually impaired people from applying for a teacher's job," said Ravi Sangliya, a visually challenged who cleared TET, but still can not apply for the job.
On Saturday, around 100 visually challenged staged a dharna at Ashram Road, voicing protest over the government not recruiting them for the job of Vidhyasahak.