At an age when many people are nearing retirement, Vijay Kumar Sharma from Uttar Pradesh’s Baghpat has secured a government teaching job after nearly 27 years of attempts. At 59, Sharma has been selected as a Trained Graduate Teacher (TGT) in Sanskrit after appearing for recruitment examinations since 1999.
Sharma said he cleared written examinations several times but could not get through the interview stage. According to him, he received interview calls eight times but was unsuccessful on each occasion.
He said he cleared the written examination for TGT recruitment six times and for Post Graduate Teacher (PGT) recruitment four times over the years.
This time, Sharma was selected after the interview stage was removed from the recruitment process. He said the absence of an interview gave him an opportunity to secure the appointment after years of clearing written examinations.
For nearly 26 years, Sharma has worked as a private teacher at Doon Public School near Baraut. He continued preparing for government recruitment examinations while teaching at the school.
According to school director Prashant Kumar, Sharma has been associated with the institution since 2003 and has continued teaching there for more than two decades. Kumar said Sharma would travel from his village to the school, teach students and prepare for competitive examinations alongside his job and family responsibilities.
Sharma’s father, Lakshman Singh, was also a government teacher. Sharma has five children, including two sons who are serving in the Uttar Pradesh Police and three daughters. One of his daughters has also been selected for a teaching position and is currently on the waiting list.
Speaking about his appointment, Sharma said receiving the appointment letter was a major achievement in his life. He said he had continued appearing for examinations since 1999 and worked on correcting his mistakes and improving his performance after every attempt.
Sharma also credited the schools where he worked and his students for supporting him during his years of preparation. He said he continued studying alongside his students while teaching them.
The Uttar Pradesh government’s Information and Public Relations Department said appointment letters were distributed to 3,567 candidates selected for aided secondary schools at an event in Lucknow.
Sharma, a resident of Badrawad village in Baghpat’s Baraut area, received his appointment letter from Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath at an event held at the Indira Gandhi Pratishthan in Lucknow on September 22. He has been appointed as a TGT Sanskrit teacher at an aided secondary school in Shamli district.
Sharma’s appointment comes when he is around 59 years and eight months old. The retirement age for teachers is 62.
