Assam: SASSM urges government to safeguard jobs of non-TET teachers

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: The Sadou Asom Sanmilita Sikshak Mancha (SASSM) has called upon the Assam Government to take immediate measures to protect the jobs of thousands of teachers who were legally appointed before 2011 but do not possess the Teachers’ Eligibility Test (TET) qualification.

The appeal follows the September 1, Supreme Court verdict in the Anjuman Isha’at-e-Taleem Trust & Ors. vs. State(s) & Ors. case, which made TET qualification compulsory for all teacher appointments and promotions.

In a statement, the SASSM pointed out that while the Court’s ruling mandates TET for new appointments, it does not explicitly address whether state governments can continue to provide relaxation under Section 23(2) of the Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009 — a provision earlier used by the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) to allow states like Assam to regularize teachers appointed before 2011.

According to the SASSM, out of approximately 1.20 lakh primary-level teachers in Assam, around 30,000–35,000 were appointed before 2011 without TET. Similarly, 17,000–18,000 Middle English (ME) teachers and about 15,000 high school teachers were also legally appointed without the qualification. The situation is even more critical at the higher secondary and college levels, where thousands of teachers and professors could face job loss if additional qualification requirements such as TET or NET/SLET are applied retrospectively.

The organization warned that enforcing the verdict without state intervention could impact nearly 80,000–90,000 teachers across Assam, leading to a severe teacher shortage at both school and college levels. This, it said, would severely disrupt the education system and affect the quality of teaching in key subjects such as science, mathematics, English, and Assamese.

The SASSM has further demanded exemption of legally appointed teachers from the purview of the Supreme Court verdict; immediate appeal by the Assam government to the NCTE and central government for relaxation under Section 23(2) of the RTE Act and formation of a relief and representation committee to identify affected teachers and ensure their job security.

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