Odisha government to 'examine' SC judgment making TET must for all teachers: Education minister

BHUBANESWAR : The Odisha government on Tuesday said it would examine the Supreme Court judgment on making Teachers’ Eligibility Test (TET) mandatory for teachers both in appointments and continuance in service. This was stated by Odisha School and Mass Education Minister Nityananda Gond here.

"As the Supreme Court has ruled that qualifying the TET is mandatory for aspiring teachers as well as in-service teachers, our department will review the order and take decisions keeping teachers' interests in mind," Gond said. The minister said the state government will also examine the measures being taken by other states in the wake of the apex court directive.

Stating that many teachers are already serving in Odisha without qualifying the Odisha Teachers’ Eligibility Test (OTET), the minister said that there was no such provision of TET before 2011 when they were recruited. Therefore, the state government will have to deliberate on this matter in the wake of the Supreme Court's verdict. The minister said that the state government has planned to hold special TET examinations to give opportunities to the in-service teachers.

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On the apex court order, the minister said that it is ruled that clearing the TET is a must for recruitment and promotion of teachers. Teachers with more than five years left for retirement must qualify for the test within two years to continue in service; otherwise, they may opt for voluntary or compulsory retirement with terminal benefits. However, teachers working in the elementary school level with less than five years of service remaining have been exempted from the TET requirement. But such teachers will not be eligible for promotion, he said.

Different teachers' organisation in Odisha urged the Supreme Court to reconsider its decision and implement the TET criteria for the new recruits and not for the teachers who were recruited earlier. According to an official of the School and Mass Education department, the TET is mandatory for elementary teachers in India, serving as a minimum qualification for appointments as teachers for Classes 1 to 8 in government and some private schools.