Coimbatore: After two long rounds of protesting within a year, Forest College students have finally managed to convince the state government to give them first preference in the recruitment of forest rangers. The government order (GO) has instructed the forest department to give first preference to forestry graduates for the job.
According to the GO issued on February 29, but published on March 24, the special rules for the Tamil Nadu Forest Department have been amended to state that candidates for forest ranger jobs "must possess a bachelor's degree in forestry or its equivalent from any recognized university. It is only in their absence can graduates from the field of agriculture, animal husbandry, horticulture, botany, chemistry etc be considered. The order was issued by forest department secretary, Hans Raj Varma.
Forest college graduates welcome this development. "We have been campaigning for nearly two years for this amendment and it has finally come through so we are happy," said Bhuvanesh P, a forest college student. "We now believe that all graduates will get placed with the government at some point or the other, as long as they keep filling vacancies regularly," he said.
Students had visited forest department officials frequently, to talk about their concerns regarding recruitment. Forestry graduates have been specially educated for the job of a forest ranger and officer. "They created this college and course only to train people to become forest rangers and officers. Then why recruit students from other streams, who have job opportunities of their own," said a protesting forest college student, Durai Raj.
The students had conducted a month-long protest through January and February 2015 and a fortnight long protest in July 2014. Professors at Forest College too welcomed this move stating that it will invite more students who love nature and forests to take up forest conservation as a profession and degree. The head of the forestry department, K T Parthiban, said "If they regularly fill vacancies every one or two years, all the job seekers completing their bachelors will get jobs," he said.
According to the GO issued on February 29, but published on March 24, the special rules for the Tamil Nadu Forest Department have been amended to state that candidates for forest ranger jobs "must possess a bachelor's degree in forestry or its equivalent from any recognized university. It is only in their absence can graduates from the field of agriculture, animal husbandry, horticulture, botany, chemistry etc be considered. The order was issued by forest department secretary, Hans Raj Varma.
Forest college graduates welcome this development. "We have been campaigning for nearly two years for this amendment and it has finally come through so we are happy," said Bhuvanesh P, a forest college student. "We now believe that all graduates will get placed with the government at some point or the other, as long as they keep filling vacancies regularly," he said.
Students had visited forest department officials frequently, to talk about their concerns regarding recruitment. Forestry graduates have been specially educated for the job of a forest ranger and officer. "They created this college and course only to train people to become forest rangers and officers. Then why recruit students from other streams, who have job opportunities of their own," said a protesting forest college student, Durai Raj.
The students had conducted a month-long protest through January and February 2015 and a fortnight long protest in July 2014. Professors at Forest College too welcomed this move stating that it will invite more students who love nature and forests to take up forest conservation as a profession and degree. The head of the forestry department, K T Parthiban, said "If they regularly fill vacancies every one or two years, all the job seekers completing their bachelors will get jobs," he said.