Mega DSC: Aspirants Struggle to Apply as New Rules Spark Confusion

Major lapses have come to the fore as teacher aspirants have begun filling out applications for the Mega DSC (District Selection Committee). The TDP-led NDA government has altered the rules to such an extent that many aspirants are either unable to submit their applications or are worried that they may not receive their hall tickets.

Unlike previous norms, the coalition government has now made minimum qualifying marks mandatory for candidates to be eligible. Earlier, aspirants who cleared the TET (Teacher Eligibility Test) were allowed to attempt the DSC.

For those aspiring to Secondary Grade Teacher (SGT) posts, a minimum of 50% marks in Intermediate is now required. Candidates with at least 50% in their Degree are eligible for School Assistant (SA) posts, while those with 50% in Post Graduation can apply for Post Graduate Teacher (PGT) posts.

This new requirement has affected at least 8 lakh aspirants who had been awaiting the DSC notification.

Candidates applying for SA posts have reported being unable to submit their applications online if their Class X and Intermediate marks are below 50%, even if they scored above 50% in their Degree.

The hopes of aspirants who have cleared TET but do not meet the minimum marks requirement have also been dashed.

In addition, candidates are encountering difficulties in selecting their second language. Aspirants with degrees in Computer Science are reportedly unable to apply, and those who pursued Open Intermediate courses have found no option to indicate that in the application. Raising these and several other concerns, the aspirants have urged the government to address the issues promptly, fearing they may miss the opportunity to secure decent jobs.

Furthermore, candidates have also demanded that the government reduce the minimum qualifying marks to 40% and increase the maximum age limit for applicants from 45 to 47 years.

The TDP government issued a notification on April 20, inviting applications for what it termed a ‘Mega DSC’ to fill 16,347 teacher posts—despite over 25,000 vacancies existing across the State. While there was widespread celebration when Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu fulfilled his promise to approve the Mega DSC soon after taking office, the initial excitement was short-lived due to delays in issuing the notification. Now, the caveats have dashed the hopes of the aspirants.