A 59‑year‑old resident of Badhwad village in Baghpat, Vijay Kumar Sharma, has finally secured a government teaching post after nearly three decades of effort. On September 22, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath presented Sharma with his appointment letter at a ceremony held at the Indira Gandhi Pratishthan in Lucknow. The letter confirms his selection as a TGT Sanskrit teacher at an aided secondary school in the neighbouring Shamli district.
Sharma’s journey to this milestone spanned 27 years. He cleared the TGT written examination six times and the PGT examination four times, and he appeared for interviews on around eight occasions, but never made it onto the final list. Each time he returned to his books, using the setbacks as motivation to improve his preparation. This time, the recruitment process did not include an interview, allowing his long wait to end with his selection.
During that period, Sharma taught Hindi and Sanskrit at private institutions, including Vivekanand Vidyapeeth and Doon Public School, for nearly 26 years while simultaneously preparing for government exams. According to Prashant Jain, director of Doon Public School, Sharma would lecture students during the day and study for competitive examinations after hours. Teaching was a family tradition, as his father Laxman Singh was also a teacher.
Sharma’s family also reflects his dedication to public service. Two of his sons serve in the Uttar Pradesh Police, and one of his three daughters has been selected for a teaching post and is currently on a waiting list. He believes that age should not be a barrier to achieving a goal, and he expresses pride in the long journey that has finally led him to a government school.
