Vijay Kumar Sharma Becomes Government Teacher at 59 After 27 Years of Effort

For most people, the age of 59 is a time when retirement begins to come into focus. For Vijay Kumar Sharma of Uttar Pradesh, however, it has marked the beginning of a long-awaited chapter in his teaching career.

After nearly 27 years of attempting to secure a government teaching position, Sharma has finally been appointed as a Trained Graduate Teacher (TGT) in Sanskrit at a government-aided school in Shamli district. His journey stands out not simply because of his age, but because of the number of times he continued to try after unsuccessful recruitment attempts.

A Government Job Dream That Began in 1999

Sharma, who is from the Baghpat district of Uttar Pradesh, began appearing for government teacher recruitment examinations in 1999. Over the following years, he continued working as a private-school teacher while preparing for competitive examinations.

His academic background was closely connected to teaching. He completed his graduation in 1987, later obtained postgraduate degrees in Hindi and Sanskrit, and completed his Bachelor of Education degree in 2003. His father, Lakshman Singh, was also a government teacher, which influenced Sharma's decision to pursue the profession.

Instead of leaving teaching while pursuing a government position, Sharma continued working in private schools. Reports say he spent more than two decades teaching Hindi and Sanskrit while simultaneously preparing for recruitment examinations.

He Cleared Written Exams but Could Not Reach the Final List

One of the most striking aspects of Sharma's story is that his attempts were not simply a series of failures at the examination stage.

According to reports, Sharma cleared the written TGT examination six times and the PGT written examination four times. He also appeared for interviews on multiple occasions but did not make it into the final selection list. Some reports put the number of unsuccessful interview attempts at around eight.

These repeated setbacks extended his journey for years. Yet he continued appearing for recruitment examinations while maintaining his teaching career in private schools.

The latest recruitment process brought a significant change for him: the interview stage was not part of the selection process. Sharma has said that he believes the change allowed candidates such as him to demonstrate their performance through the examination without facing another interview stage.

From Private School Teacher to TGT Sanskrit Teacher

Sharma is now set to teach Sanskrit at Inter College Ailum in Shamli district. The school is around 15 kilometres from his village in Baghpat, according to reports.

His appointment means that after spending much of his professional life teaching in private institutions, he has finally entered the government-aided school system as a teacher. He is expected to teach Sanskrit to students up to Class X.

The appointment also came with an important practical reality. Sharma was born in February 1967 and is around 59 years old. With the reported retirement age for teachers being 62, he expects to have only a little more than two years of service remaining.

For Sharma, however, the length of the remaining service appears less important than finally achieving the goal he had pursued since 1999.

Appointment Letter Presented in Lucknow

Sharma received his appointment letter at a programme in Lucknow on September 22, 2026. Reports say the appointment letters were distributed to candidates selected for teaching positions in aided secondary schools, with Sharma receiving his letter for the Sanskrit TGT position.

The moment marked the conclusion of a recruitment journey that had lasted for more than a quarter of a century.

His Daughter Also Cleared the Recruitment Examination

Sharma's achievement has another interesting family connection. His daughter, Mamta Sharma, also cleared the teacher recruitment examination. However, her name is currently on the waiting list rather than the final appointment list.

Reports about the family also note that Sharma has five children, while two of his sons work with the Uttar Pradesh Police.

His daughter has described her father's persistence as an important source of inspiration. The family also experienced financial difficulties during the years when Sharma was supporting the household through his private-school teaching work.

What His Story Says About Long Recruitment Journeys

Sharma's experience highlights a less-discussed side of competitive government recruitment: clearing an examination does not necessarily guarantee final appointment when the selection process contains multiple stages.

In his case, the reported sequence was particularly unusual. He repeatedly demonstrated his performance in written examinations but was unable to secure final selection. The eventual removal of the interview stage coincided with the attempt in which he was selected.

It is important, however, not to treat one person's experience as proof that interviews are inherently unfair or that removing interviews will produce better outcomes in every recruitment process. Sharma himself expressed concerns about the interview process based on his personal experience; those views are his own and should be distinguished from independently established conclusions about recruitment policy.

A Career Goal Achieved Near Retirement

Vijay Kumar Sharma's appointment is ultimately a story about a professional goal that took an unusually long time to materialise.

He spent years teaching privately, continued his education, repeatedly sat for recruitment examinations and returned to preparation after unsuccessful attempts. At 59, he finally received the appointment he had been pursuing since the late 1990s.

His story also offers a useful perspective on career timelines. Success in competitive recruitment does not always happen at the beginning of a person's working life. In Sharma's case, the achievement arrived only a few years before the reported retirement age.

For him, the government teaching post is therefore more than another job. It represents the completion of a professional ambition that survived nearly three decades of examination attempts, career responsibilities and repeated disappointment.

The appointment may come relatively late in his working life, but it closes a 27-year chapter with Sharma finally stepping into the government-aided teaching role he had continued to pursue for so long.