TET Mandate: Centre’s Promise to Resolve Senior Teachers’ TET Crisis Brings Relief to State’s Primary Educators

TET Mandate: Finally, thousands of senior primary teachers in West Bengal can breathe a sigh of relief. The Central Government has directly intervened to resolve the deep crisis created by a recent Supreme Court verdict mandating the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) for all in-service teachers. Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has sent a message through the state’s Leader of the Opposition, Suvendu Adhikari, assuring that senior teachers will not be inconvenienced. The government has decided to take the necessary legal steps to address this issue.

What Was the Crisis?

In a landmark judgment, the Supreme Court recently ruled that all working primary teachers must pass the TET exam. It was made mandatory for teachers with more than five years of service remaining to pass this test within the next two years. Following this verdict, thousands of senior teachers in the state, who have been teaching for many years and were appointed without a TET qualification, fell into deep anxiety. They even faced the fear of losing their jobs. It was in this situation that the state’s Leader of the Opposition, Suvendu Adhikari, discussed the matter with Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Minister of State for Education, Sukanta Majumdar.

The Centre’s Assurance and Action

After a lengthy discussion, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan reassured Suvendu Adhikari, stating, “The Government of India stands with the senior teachers.” He explained that in light of the Supreme Court’s verdict, a legal path is being sought to ensure that senior teachers across India do not face any hardship, and that swift action will be taken on this matter. This message has brought a wave of relief to the state’s teaching community. Suvendu Adhikari has stated that the Centre has not only given verbal assurance but has also started working on creating a specific legal framework to solve this problem.

Reaction Among the Teaching Community

The Centre’s assurance has elicited a mixed response from the state’s teacher unions. One faction has welcomed this initiative and hopes for a speedy resolution. According to them, facing a TET exam at this stage of their careers after years of dedicated service is not only difficult but also demeaning. On the other hand, another faction believes that one cannot be completely at ease until a specific directive is issued. However, overall, this step by the Centre has created an atmosphere of relief in the state’s primary education sector for now. It remains to be seen when this legal process will be implemented and the senior teachers will be completely free from this crisis.