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61-year old Arabic teacher in Kerala gets government job offer 21 years too late
Majeed appeared for a recruitment test for a part-time junior Arabic teacher post in 2005; the selection list expired three years later, ending his hopes of securing the job
- PUBLISHED: Fri 5 Jun 2026, 6:00 AM UPDATED: Fri 5 Jun 2026, 1:43 PM
Getting an appointment letter for a government job is one of the happiest moments in an average person’s life — there is stability, regular incomes, less of the pressures witnessed in the private sector and an overall sense of contentment. But Abdul Majeed from Kerala’s Malappuram district is not really thrilled after getting an appointment letter.
The reason: he got it a bit too late. In fact, 21 years after he applied for the job, and when he has already turned 61.
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Majeed appeared for a recruitment test for the post of part-time junior Arabic teacher in 2005, according to media reports. After the list expired three years later, Majeed lost all hopes of landing the job.
But in April this year, he was astounded when he was informed that the process had been completed and he was asked to join within three months. Apparently, as there were no eligible candidates all those years, it had been kept open.
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“When I approached the Thrissur Deputy Director's office, they informed me that appointment procedures could not be completed during May or the vacation period and that joining would only be possible in June," Majeed told reporters. “But I told them there was no point in getting the appointment in June because I would attain 60 years of age on May 27.”
According to Majeed, in 2022 the matter had reached the final stage, and a decision was taken to appoint the next eligible candidate. “Had the process been completed then, I could have at least received four years of service. Due to sheer negligence, I lost even that opportunity," he said. And now as he has crossed 60, he cannot not get the job.
“The prolonged delay of 18 years cost me my job,” Majeed told the media.
However, he has now written to N. Shamsudheen, the state’s education minister, seeking his intervention. Majeed believes he stands a good chance of getting the job, as there is a discrepancy in the records relating to his birth date.
His school leaving certificate records his birth date as May 27, 1966, while he was actually born a year later in 1967. He is hopeful of getting the job now, even for a short stint.
His case, highlighted on social media, has sparked tremendous interest. "he applied during the Orkut era and got the job in the AI era," said one. Added another: ‘Applied in 2005, appointed in 2026. That’s not a recruitment process; that’s a lifetime achievement award.
