AGARTALA: Three weeks after police turned water cannons on job seekers outside Shiksha Bhavan, the Tripura government on Wednesday finally broke its silence on recruitment by giving offer letters to 1,452 graduate teachers at Hapania, while keeping primary TET-1 hiring on hold.
The distribution ceremony, held at the auditorium of the International Fair Ground, covered two groups of school teachers. Under the Selection Test for Graduate Teachers (STGT), 686 candidates received offer letters for Classes 9 and 10, while 766 candidates who cleared Teacher Eligibility Test Paper-II (TET-2) were recruited to teach Classes 6 through 8.
Speaking at the event, Chief Minister Dr. Manik Saha defended the state administration’s hiring record and insisted that jobs were being given without bias.
“The objective of the state government is to build a skilled and developed Tripura through the expansion of quality education,” Saha said. “From the very beginning, the government had resolved to arrange employment for educated unemployed youths transparently, neutrally, and purely on the basis of merit.”
Claiming a major milestone in public sector recruitment, the Chief Minister said, “So far, the state government has provided regular government jobs to 23,986 individuals across various departments. In addition, 26,000 youths have been recruited across departments through outsourcing.”
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However, Saha offered no relief to candidates who cleared the primary level TET-1 exam, explaining that their recruitment remains blocked in court.
“The matter concerning TET-1 qualified candidates remains sub judice before the court,” the Chief Minister stated. “This is a matter before the court, and the government cannot intervene there.”
He added, “Alongside development work, the government is making sincere efforts to arrange employment for unemployed youths, and this is already reflected in our initiatives and work.”
Saha noted that the hiring was necessary to prevent a breakdown in school staffing.
“Regular teacher recruitment is being carried out so that proper pupil-teacher ratios are maintained in state schools for quality education,” he said.
The chief minister also listed several initiatives taken by the education department to upgrade government schools. According to him, 1,389 schools have been brought under the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) scheme, 1,210 schools have been provided with smart classrooms, and 367 schools now have tinkering labs. Furthermore, 2,138 schools across the state, including those in remote corners, have been fitted with Teaching Learning Material (TLM) parks.
Highlighting student welfare and school assistance schemes, Saha said, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi, through the National Education Policy 2020, has transformed the education system into one that is reform-oriented, encouraging, child-centric, and skill-focused.”
He pointed out that the government has distributed 1,64,000 bicycles to female students to help them travel to school, along with iPads for digital learning.
“Under the CM Sathi scheme, scholarships are being provided to meritorious poor students so that their studies do not stop due to financial hardship,” Saha said. “The government’s goal is to support talented students in various ways so that their education is not cut short by lack of money.”
Addressing the newly hired teachers directly, the chief minister said, “Teachers are the architects who shape the future of the new generation. For this reason, teachers are called the backbone of the nation. While teaching in schools, educators must always remain compassionate toward students.”
He continued, “Alongside this, teachers must enhance their own knowledge and skills through regular study of new subjects. It must be remembered that teaching is not merely a job post; teachers are the architects of the future.”
School Education Department Secretary Milind Ramteke delivered the welcome address at the function, while State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) Director L. Darlong attended as a special guest. Director of Secondary and Elementary Education Dr. Samit Roy Choudhury presided over the programme.
Yet for hundreds of job seekers who watched the ceremony from outside, the day brought little comfort. The distribution took place only after nearly two years of exhausting street agitation by qualified candidates who had repeatedly petitioned the Teachers’ Recruitment Board, Tripura (TRBT), only to face police resistance and administrative silence.
The frustration among job aspirants reached a boiling point on September 24 outside Shiksha Bhavan in Agartala. On that day, hundreds of candidates who had qualified in the 2024 tests staged a sit-in to demand the publication of their merit lists. Instead of dialogue, police turned water cannons on the crowd, roughing up several job seekers and pushing around a hundred men and women into police vans to clear the road.
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That police crackdown drew sharp criticism across the state from opposition parties, rights bodies, and teachers’ unions, forcing the government onto the defensive and mounting pressure on the administration to release the offer letters.
Even on Wednesday, as speeches were being delivered inside the air-conditioned hall in Hapania, the anger spilled out onto the streets again. Job seekers, including STGT candidates demanding immediate document verification and appointments to 2,176 vacant posts, staged fresh demonstrations outside the venue.
Protesters pointed out that out of 1,488 candidates who passed TET-2, only 766 were recommended for appointment on October 9, leaving more than 700 qualified candidates waiting without jobs. With all 1,033 primary TET-1 posts frozen by litigation and several candidates already crossing the upper age limit of 40 years, the protesting youth made it clear that their street movement will not end until every qualified candidate receives an appointment letter.