Unions raise concerns about teachers’ job security

Teachers’ organisations have urged the State and the Union governments to intervene urgently to address the situation that has arisen in the wake of a Supreme Court ruling making clearing of Teachers’ Eligibility Test (TET) mandatory for all schoolteachers.

The Supreme Court recently held that qualifying the TET was compulsory for appointment as teachers and for those in service to seek promotion. The court verdict will impact thousands of teachers, argue their organisations.

The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, made minimum qualifications as laid down by an authority mandatory for appointment as teacher. The National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) through a notification issued in 2010 made TET the minimum qualification for appointment of teachers in Classes I to VIII. Amendments to the notification in 2011 did not change the requirement of TET qualification.

Teachers appointed in Kerala before the enforcement of the RTE Act were exempted from compulsorily qualifying the Kerala Teachers Eligibility Test (K-TET), the All Kerala School Teachers’ Union (AKSTU) pointed out in a statement.

‘Compulsorily retired’

However, the recent Supreme Court judgment said that teachers appointed before the RTE Act came into force and left with more than five years to retire should clear the TET within two years to remain in service. Else they may quit or be compulsorily retired with terminal benefits.

Those left with less than five years of service need not quality TET but would not be eligible for promotion. The AKSTU called on the government to file a review petition against the ruling of a Division Bench of the apex court to protect the service and promotion of teachers appointed prior to 2010.

The Kerala Pradesh School Teachers’ Association (KPSTA) said the court judgment was against social justice. The governments should intervene to protect the jobs of teachers who fulfilled the required qualifications while entering service but now face the threat of being thrown out.