Karnataka govt mulls online counselling for placement of teachers

BELAGAVI: Due to the pandemic, the state government is mulling online counselling to recruit teaching and non-teaching staff for government residential schools.
There has been a massive delay in the hiring process, despite exams being held for the same in October 2017. The Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) sent the final short-list of candidates to the Karnataka Residential Educational Institutional Societies (KREIS) only in November 2019.After this, the KREIS collected documents from the candidates for verification. However, the counselling process is yet to happen.
Recruitments are being done for Morarji Desai residential schools, Ekalavya, Hutama, Indira Gandhi and other schools.
The pandemic has added to the woes of the candidates, as the process has been further delayed. Now, the KREIS is seriously considering the option of taking the online route for personal interviews of candidates. There are 5,000 vacant posts for both teaching and non-teaching staff. The government has appointed 900 individuals so far, while the hiring process has to happen to fill 4,100 posts.
KRIES joint director Sindhu H S said the process has been delayed considerably. “The pandemic has come in the way of carrying out recruitment. We have sent a letter to the social welfare department, seeking permission for online counselling,” she said.
Sindhu said that it may not be safe for candidates to travel to Bengaluru from the districts. At the Bengaluru office too, there will be a rush, making it difficult for both officials and candidates. Hence, KREIS has proposed virtual interviews.
A candidate from Haveri said that it’s a welcome move, but the government has to frame guidelines analysing challenges pertaining to online placements. “Many candidates hail from remote villages where there are network issues. The state needs to address this problem,” he said.