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 began appearing for recruitment examinations in 1999. He said he had cleared the written examinations several times but could not make it through the interview stage. According to Sharma, he received interview calls eight times and was unsuccessful at the interview stage each time.
He continued preparing for government recruitment examinations while teaching at the school. 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. Sharma also credited the schools where he worked and his students for supporting him during his years of preparation. He has been appointed as a TGT Sanskrit teacher at an aided secondary school in Shamli district.
For nearly 26 years, Sharma has worked as a private teacher at Doon Public School near Baraut. Sharma has been associated with the institution since 2003 and has continued teaching there for more than two decades, according to school director Prashant Kumar. 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.
Kumar said Sharma would travel from his village to the school, teach students and prepare for competitive examinations alongside his job and family responsibilities. He said he continued studying alongside his students while teaching them.
