Chandigarh, Jan 14 (IANS): The Punjab government on Tuesday decided to fill 3,186 posts of various cadres in teaching and non-teaching staff in schools.

The Cabinet led by Chief Minister Amarinder Singh approved the School Education Department proposal to this effect.

The move will help plug a major gap in the school staff, thereby improving the standards of education, an official spokesperson said after a meeting of the Cabinet.

During the meeting, the Chief Minister underlined the need for a serious relook at the school curriculum from the point of making students job-ready.

Pointing out that vocational courses had been introduced for senior classes in various fields, such as hospitality and mobile phone repair etc, he stressed the importance of more thrust on vocational teaching.

In line with the proposal of the School Education Department, the Cabinet gave nod to fill 132 posts of Deputy District Education Officer, Principal of Government Senior Secondary Schools, 311 Headmasters or Headmistresses, 2,182 masters or mistresses in various subjects, 32 Block Primary Education Officers (BPEOs), 500 Elementary Trained Teachers, four law officers and 25 legal assistants.

The annual financial implication of the move, for the first three years during the probation period, would be Rs 42 crore per annum approximately.

However, once the probation period is over and the employees are given the full scale, the annual financial implication will be Rs 197 crore per annum approximately, said the spokesperson.

All these posts, except Principals, Headmasters and BPEOs, would be filled through the Directorate of Recruitment, already set up in the department since October 12, 2015. The posts of Principal, Headmaster and BPEO will be filled through the Punjab Public Service Commission.

In order to utilise the services of clerks optimally, the department has proposed to follow the methodology for rationalisation of clerks to dispose of the official work expeditiously as well as efficaciously.