Recruitment of 4k Urdu teachers cancelled

Additional chief secy says primary schools have enough Urdu teachers, no need for further recruitment

LUCKNOW: The state government has cancelled the recruitment process of 4,000 Urdu teachers initiated by the Samajwadi Party government in 2016.

Additional chief secretary Prabhat Kumar said primary schools in the state had sufficient number of Urdu teachers and there was no need for further recruitment.

“The director, basic education, has informed that there are sufficient Urdu teachers in primary schools. Therefore, there is no requirement for additional Urdu teachers,” a government order issued by the additional chief secretary said.

The process for recruitment of Urdu teachers for government-run primary schools began on December 15, 2016.

A total of 16,460 posts for assistant primary teachers were announced out of which 4,000 posts were set aside for Urdu teachers.

However, the recruitment process was put on the backburner after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power

in March 2017.

Criticising the decision, prominent Sunni cleric Maulana Khalid Rashid Farangi Mahli on Wednesday said it was a setback for candidates.

“It is a setback for Urdu language. The government should revisit its order as thousands of candidates had applied for the posts. Urdu should not be looked as a language of Muslims. It is like any other language and the government should try to protect it,” he said.

This is not for the first time

that the BJP government has taken a step that has not been appreciated by members of the minority community.

In 2017, the state government had ordered that madarsas in UP should celebrate Independence Day and send video footage and pictures of the functions.

The circular had directed the madarsas to hoist the Tricolour and sing national anthem at 8am. The government’s move was criticised by Muslims for “raising doubts on the integrity of madarsas”.