Youth protest as teacher exam postponed again

INDORE: A large number of unemployed youth led by Congress leaders on Friday staged a protest against postponement of exam to recruit secondary and higher secondary teachers continuously for past seven years.
The protesters led by Youth Congress vice-president Sunny Gawai reached collectorate and threatened to boycott upcoming Lok Sabha elections if government fails to conduct the exam before the polls.
“Youth are angry over postponement of the exam, which was to be conducted on December 29. No reason was given for it, while the authority has also not informed about next date of the exam,” Gawai told media-persons.
He added that the aspiring teachers were angry since the exam has not been conducted after 2011.
The protesters claimed that 2.30 lakh applicants have so far applied at for the post of higher secondary teachers, while about 4.50 lakh have filled examination forms for secondary teachers through MP Professional Examination Board (MPPEB).
“Many DEd and BEd degree holders have been preparing for years to appear in the exam but, it is postponed every time. We want a fixed date, so that, the applicants can make their schedule and prepare accordingly,” a protester Vandana Pathak said.
She added that if the authority fails to conduct the exam or announce a fixed date before Lok Sabha polls, the aspiring teachers will be forced to boycott the general election.