KARACHI, March 20: Interviews for the selection of candidates for over 7,500 vacant posts of school teachers throughout the province would begin from March 26, it was learnt officially. A senior official of the Sindh Education and Literacy department said that the selection committees at district level would first conduct interviews for the posts primary school teachers (PST), which would be followed by the interviews for the posts of junior school teacher (JST) and high school teacher (HST) respectively.

The PST posts are school specified and candidates selected for the posts would not be transferred for at least three years from the school concerned, added the official. The education department had advertised for recruitment of primary school, junior school, high school and language teachers in Jan 2004, against which 3,17,300 applications, including 1,80,000 for the PST posts, were received.

The department held written tests in May and June, 2004 and declared 196,000 candidates having secured 40 per cent or above marks as eligible for the interview. According to criteria set for interviews the candidates are required to appear for interviews in their own district as per taluka, cadre and gender-wise schedule of interviews which are to be issued by the district committees latest by March 24. The committees are likely to complete the interview process within a period of two months.

The merit lists of candidates would be prepared on union council or school specific basis in the case of PST posts, while on Taluka basis for JST post and district basis for HST. The weightage of the marks would maintain as follows: written test-60, interview-30, graduation-5 and post-graduation-5. However, additional marks for holding higher degrees will not apply to those posts where the prerequisite qualification is graduation or masters.

The selection committee at each district of the province would comprise the executive district officer (education)-chairman, district officer (elementary education)-member/secretary, district officer (secondary and higher secondary, district officer (academic and training), one principal or headmaster nominated by the executive district officer and one educationist nominated by the district coordinating officer.

A source privy to the recruitment process said that a few of the EDOs in view of the large lists of candidates have requested for more than one interview committee, other wise it would become difficult for them to wind up the recruitment process in the given period of time. A maximum number of candidates-29,279 including 17,016 women, has been registered as qualified for interviews in the Karachi district, followed by 16,177 in Noushero Feroz, 16,174 in Hyderabad, 15,429 in Jacobabad, 13,908 in Khairpur, 12,601 in Mirpurkhas, 11,732 in Larkana, 11,642 in Sanghar, 11,131 in Dadu, 9,518 in Ghotki, 9,470 in Shikarpur, 9,197 in Badin, 8,490 in Sukkur, 7,878 in Nawabshah, 7,567 in Tharparkar and 6,798 in Thatta.