The Assam government has decided to launch a special drive to recruit around 35,000 contractual Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) and state pool teachers to meet the requirement of experienced teachers in government schools.

This was one of the decisions taken by the Himanta Biswa Sarma-led Assam cabinet which met in Nalbari on Thursday.

Since the serving teachers cannot be regularised legally, the cabinet has decided to create about 35,000 new posts and ensure their lateral entry into the government fold.

The government said “taking note of the requirement of experienced teachers in government schools”, the cabinet has okayed the “special” recruitment drive for appointing the contractual teachers under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan and the state pool “as regular teachers”.

Teachers under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, a flagship programme of the Centre to attain universal elementary education, are appointed contractually to help existing schools without adequate teachers. On the other hand, the state pool of teachers are TET-qualified teachers eligible for government school posting.

The government also said that the existing service rule would be amended to make provision for the lateral entry of these experienced contractual teachers as regular teachers in the lower primary and upper primary schools, adding the move would benefit 35,133 contractual SSA and state pool teachers. Sarma said the SSA posts would cease to exist after the special recruitment drive. Those recruited would get facilities and pay as availed by other government teachers.

The other important decision of the cabinet is to advise the transport department to not levy any fine for two-wheelers in the absence of documents such as licences, registrations and pollution certificates.

Not wearing helmets, however, will continue to attract fines, the government said.