Assam Cabinet: Proposal on mandatory TET qualification

 STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: The Department of School Education, Assam has placed a policy decision taken by it before the Assam Cabinet for its approval, whereby it has been proposed to amend the Recruitment Rules of 2018 and 2020 to the extent of deleting the requirement of TET (both High School and Higher Secondary TET) introduced in the said Rules of 2018 and 2020. If the proposal is approved by the State Cabinet, the qualification of TET will no longer be a mandatory qualification in teacher recruitment processes.

A writ application (WA/117/2023) had been filed in the Gauhati High Court by many petitioners. The petitioners were aggrieved by their exclusion from the selection process initiated by the Department of School Education through four advertisements dated 28.12.2022, inviting applications from qualified candidates for filling up of 7,776 posts of graduate teachers and 1,503 posts of postgraduate teachers in different provincialized/Government Secondary and Higher Secondary Schools. The petitioners claimed that they were precluded from participating in the selection process as they did not have Teachers Eligibility Test (TET) qualification. They stated that the number of available candidates against the advertised posts is not even one-third of the total advertised posts. The paucity of TET qualified candidates would mean that a major portion of the posts advertised for would be left vacant and this would adversely affect the availability of teachers in the schools and deprive the children of the right to education. Thus, the petitioners would be able to participate in the future recruitment process even if they do not acquire the TET qualification.

The petitioners informed the court that they could not acquire the TET qualification as the TET examination has not been held since the year 2019. They had filed a writ petition (WP (C) 1356/2023) with the plea that either the selection process initiated in furtherance of the advertisement dated 28.12.2022 be kept on hold till the process for holding TET examinations can be initiated so that the they can acquire the requisite qualification. The writ court dismissed the writ petition vide order dated 13.03.2023.

During the course of hearing in the writ application (WA/117/2023), the Department of School Education and Director of Secondary Education, Assam, filed an affidavit-in-opposition mentioning therein that pursuant to the issue of the advertisement dated 28.12.2022, the number of qualified candidates whose applications have been received till the prescribed last date is 1,559 for postgraduate teachers and 3,437 for the post of graduate teachers. The recruitment process is in the final stage of preparation of the merit lists.

In the affidavit it was also stated that a proposal has been laid by the Department of School Education, Assam on the basis of policy decision to amend the Recruitment Rules of 2018 and 2020 to the extent of deleting the requirement of TET (both High School and Higher Secondary TET) and once the said proposal is approved by the State Cabinet, the qualification of TET would no longer be a mandatory requirement. Thus, the petitioners would be able to participate in the future recruitment process despite not having acquired the TET qualification. It was also mentioned in the affidavit that Higher Secondary TET and High School TET examinations were conducted by the government in the year 2020 and 2021.

The court said that the petitioners would get a chance to apply for the post of teachers (graduate teacher and postgraduate teacher) when such posts are advertised. “It is also not disputed that in the present round of recruitment, the number of applicants who have been found to be qualified for the post is much less than the posts advertised. Apparently thus, upon the above proposal for amendment of the Recruitment Rules of 2018 and 2020 being approved and incorporated in the Rules, the appellants would have the opportunity to apply for the unfilled posts as and when the same are advertised,” said the court.

With this, the court disposed of the writ appeal.

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