Teachers’ body seeks government help to secure exemption from TET

Leaders of Andhra Pradesh Primary Teachers’ Association (APPTA) have urged the State government to file a review petition in the Supreme Court (SC) seeking exemption from Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) for in-service teachers

In its judgment delivered on September 1, the apex court ruled that all serving teachers across India, except those who are within five years of retirement, must compulsorily pass the TET within two years from the date of the judgment, in order to continue in service or become eligible for promotions.

In a representation submitted to the Minister for Human Resource Development (HRD) Nara Lokesh, the association’s State president E.G.S. Ganapathi Rao and State general secretary K. Prakash Rao said that several states, along with APPTA and other teachers’ associations, had already filed review petitions in the Supreme Court requesting exemption for teachers who are currently in service. However, the Government of Andhra Pradesh had not yet filed any such petition, and had instead gone ahead with the issuance of a TET notification, causing widespread anxiety and concern among teachers.

The association leaders expressed hope that the Minister, who they said had been striving tirelessly for the economic and educational progress of Andhra Pradesh, would take up the issue seriously. They also appealed to him to assure teachers that the government will file a review petition in the Supreme Court on their behalf, issue necessary instructions to officials, and thereby instil confidence among the teaching community.