TET News: Job at Risk Without Passing TET? State Approaches Supreme Court Over the Future of Nearly 1 Lakh Teachers!

TET News: The state government is set to file a Special Review Petition in the Supreme Court, seeking reconsideration of its ruling that makes passing the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) mandatory for primary teachers. This verdict has put the jobs of nearly one lakh primary teachers in the state at risk, causing significant concern within the State Education Department. Preparations to file the petition have begun after receiving the green light from Nabanna, the state secretariat.

What Was the Supreme Court’s Mandate?

A division bench comprising Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Augustine George Masih had delivered a landmark judgment stating that all primary teachers must pass the TET to secure their jobs. A two-year deadline was also set for compliance with this order.

According to the court’s directive:

• All primary teachers with more than five years of service are required to pass the TET.
• An exemption was granted only to those teachers who have less than five years of service remaining until retirement.

Initially, it was estimated that the ruling would impact around 90000 teachers across the state. However, subsequent data revealed that the impact is far more widespread.

The State’s Cause for Concern

According to statistics compiled by the School Education Department, nearly one lakh (100,000) primary teachers currently employed in the state have not passed the TET. If the Supreme Court’s order is implemented, this vast number of teachers will be required to sit for and pass the test. The state government is concerned that many, after years of service, may not be able to clear a competitive exam. Questions have been raised about whether they possess the required “mentality” for such an examination after a long tenure in service. This could potentially lead to widespread disruption in the state’s primary education system.

State’s Arguments for the Review

The state government is expected to base its review petition on several key arguments.

• Historical Context: The Primary Education Board in the state only started conducting the TET process after 2011. The majority of the affected teachers were recruited before this period, under recruitment practices aligned with the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) guidelines of that era, which did not require TET.
• Practical Concerns: The state will argue that these educators have been teaching diligently for many years, and forcing them to take a competitive exam now is impractical.
• Past Precedent: The state also plans to cite previous experiences, such as the issues surrounding a mandatory bridge course for primary teachers in 2009, to illustrate the disruptive impact such orders can have on the education system.

A teachers’ organization has already filed a similar review petition on October 7th. The state government is hopeful that the Supreme Court will positively consider its appeal, given the direct and significant impact the order would have on nearly one lakh teachers and the potential disruption to primary education.