TGT-PGT Recruitment Row: Candidates' Protest Enters Day 2 in Prayagraj
TGT-PGT candidates continue their sit-in at the Directorate of Education in Prayagraj, demanding a return to old recruitment rules.
The tension in Prayagraj continues to escalate as candidates aspiring for Trained Graduate Teacher (TGT) and Post Graduate Teacher (PGT) positions entered their second consecutive day of sit-in protests. Gathered outside the Directorate of Education, the demonstrators are demanding that the government scrap the new recruitment guidelines and return to the previous regulations and patterns.
Defying Holidays for Justice
The protest resumed on Monday, October 26, 2026, showing the determination of the candidates who remained at the site overnight despite the hardships. Even the public holiday for Valmiki Jayanti failed to deter the crowd. Led by Ashutosh Pandey, the protesters have turned the area outside the Directorate into a camp of resistance, while a heavy police presence has been deployed at the main gate to prevent any breach of security.
The Root of the Conflict: Broken Promises?
The current unrest is fueled by a sense of betrayal among the candidates. The secondary education department recently issued a new advertisement for TGT-PGT positions with amended rules. According to the protesters, these changes directly violate an assurance previously given by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
The history of this struggle is marked by significant sacrifice. On September 23, 2026, students had ended an indefinite hunger strike after the Chief Minister promised to communicate with the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) to resolve the recruitment issues. However, instead of the promised intervention, the department introduced several controversial changes:
- TET Requirement: Making the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) mandatory.
- B.Ed Conditions: Revised eligibility conditions for B.Ed and non-B.Ed candidates.
- Curriculum Shifts: Modifications to the Arts subject curriculum.
Key Demands of the Protesters
The student body has laid out clear demands to end the agitation. They are calling for:
- The immediate restoration of the old recruitment rules.
- The inclusion of single-subject candidates and those from the Arts stream.
- Providing an opportunity for non-B.Ed aspirants to participate in the recruitment process.
A Trail of Tragedy and Political Support
This movement is not without its scars. The agitation has been fraught with tension since June 2026, when demonstrations broke out regarding over 23,775 vacancies. The movement reached a breaking point on September 21, 2026, following the tragic death of a candidate named Vijay Bahadur, an event that intensified the anger of the students and led many to travel to Lucknow to voice their grievances.
The political landscape is also shifting around the protest. On October 27, 2026, a delegation of the candidates met with Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav. After receiving a memorandum from the students, Yadav expressed his solidarity, assuring the candidates that their interests would be protected should his party come to power.
As the stalemate continues, the candidates have vowed to remain in their sit-in until the government formally addresses their grievances and reverts the recruitment process to the original rules.