Chennai: The Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly unanimously adopted a special resolution on Tuesday, urging the Union government to exempt teachers appointed before August 23, 2010, from the mandatory Teacher Eligibility Test (TET).
School Education Minister A Rajmohan introduced the resolution in the House, highlighting the uncertainty faced by thousands of serving teachers following the enforcement of the TET requirement.
The resolution said teachers appointed before the prescribed cut-off date should be granted a complete exemption from appearing for and passing the eligibility examination.
It also called upon the Centre to introduce suitable amendments to the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act to provide statutory protection to the affected teachers.
According to the Minister, the order making TET compulsory has affected nearly 3.28 lakh teachers. Many of them were recruited under the eligibility rules and appointment procedures prevailing before the TET system came into force. Rajmohan said it would be unfair to retrospectively impose a newly introduced eligibility condition on teachers who had already entered service through valid recruitment processes.
The compulsory examination had created anxiety among long-serving teachers and raised concerns over their job security, promotional prospects and retirement benefits, he added.
The Minister maintained that the state government was committed to safeguarding the interests of teachers while maintaining educational standards.
He said an amendment to the central legislation was necessary to provide a permanent solution, as administrative measures by the state alone might not adequately address the legal issues arising from the TET requirement.
The resolution received support from parties across the political spectrum. Members of the DMK, AIADMK, PMK, Communist Party of India, Communist Party of India (Marxist) and Congress backed the government’s proposal. During the discussion, members said teachers who had served for several years should not be compelled to clear an examination that was not mandatory when they were recruited.
They urged the Union government to consider the experience and service records of such teachers and resolve the issue without delay. Following the debate, Speaker J.C.T. Prabhakar put the special resolution to a voice vote.
He subsequently announced that it had been passed unanimously. The resolution will now be forwarded to the Union government, seeking amendments to the Right to Education Act and a complete TET exemption for all teachers appointed before August 23, 2010.
(IANS)
