Four-member committee to settle teachers grievances on PR-CET

Updated on: Thursday, July 07, 2011

Here is some relief for the education diploma (DEd) holders, who may have grievances relating to the pre-recruitment common entrance test (PR-CET) conducted by the Maharashtra state council of examinations (MSCE), for teaching jobs at primary schools. The state department of school education has constituted a four-member expert committee to examine and settle all grievances relating to the PR-CET conducted on May 2, 2010 and thereafter. The council is an autonomous exam-conducting body of the state government.

A government resolution (GR) detailing the grievance redressal mechanism for the PR-CET has been issued on July 4 by ZS Randive, under-secretary to the department of school education. The panel will be headed by former director of primary education RB Phansalkar, while former joint director (education) Vinay Dakshindas and the present director of primary education, MR Kadam, will be members. MSCE deputy commissioner Shivaji Pandhare will be the member secretary.

The move comes close on the heels of the Bombay high courts directive on May 5, seeking formation of an authority or a forum where grievances of individual candidates, concerning the exam process and results, are decided. A division bench of the high court is monitoring a writ petition filed by a candidate challenging the assessment of her PR-CET paper.

“We may place on record that a large number of petitions are being filed before the high court by candidates challenging the examination process conducted by the MSCE from time to time,” the bench of justices AM Khanwilkar and Mridula Bhatkar stated in its order of May 5. “In our opinion, it would be appropriate that the MSCE constitutes an authority/ forum, which can be entrusted the work of deciding all grievances of the individual candidates concerning examination process, including their results,” the bench ruled. “In that case, the candidates will have an opportunity to espouse their cause before such forum,” the bench added.

On June 14, the counsel for the MSCE informed the court that the council had submitted a proposal regarding the grievance redressal authority to the department of school education on May 20. However, it can be implemented only after the government’s approval. The counsel urged the court to grant eight weeks time for the approval process to get over.

The court then expressed its dismay over the time sought for approval of the grievance redressal scheme. We fail to understand why eight weeks time is required to consider the proposal submitted by the MSCE, which is in larger public interest, the then bench of justices AM Khanwilkar and RY Ganoo observed. The matter was then posted for next hearing on June 28.

When contacted, MSCE deputy commissioner Shivaji Pandhare said, “The GR detailing the grievance redressal scheme will be placed before the high court, which is to hear the matter on July 19. We will wait for the courts instruction before starting our work.” Pandhare added, “Over 2.05 lakh students had applied for the PR-CET held in May 2010 and 1.85 lakh students actually appeared in the exam.”

WHY PR-CET

The Maharashtra government decided in June 2008 to introduce the pre-recruitment CET for teaching jobs at primary schools run by the state and the local self-governing bodies, following complaints that candidates from 865 villages in the disputed Maharashtra-Karnataka border (MKB) territory were at a disadvantage due to the gap in their DEd score and the score by the Maharashtra candidates. Over 3.75 lakh candidates from across the state and the MKB territory had appeared in the first ever PR-CET in the state held on August 31, 2008.

Four-member committee to settle teachers grievances on PR-CET

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