SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly on Thursday passed a resolution seeking exemption from the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) for teachers appointed before October 31, 2019, and urged the Union Government to amend the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009 to give effect to the exemption.
The resolution, moved by School Education Minister Sakeena Itoo earlier this week, calls for an amendment to Section 23 of the RTE Act and necessary legal measures through the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE).
The demand follows the Supreme Court’s ruling that TET constitutes a minimum qualification for teachers covered by the RTE Act. In May this year, the court extended the deadline for teachers to obtain the qualification until August 31, 2028 and observed that the test should preferably be held twice a year to provide teachers with more opportunities to qualify.
During the Assembly discussion, members raised concerns over applying the TET requirement to teachers who were appointed years before the test became applicable in Jammu and Kashmir.
Gurez MLA Nazir Ahmad Gurezi also highlighted the difficulties that could arise in remote areas, particularly where schools already face shortages of subject-specific teachers. He argued that implementation of the requirement without taking local conditions into account could create additional difficulties for such institutions.
The resolution seeks intervention by the Union Government because the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly does not have the authority to amend Section 23 of the central legislation.
The proposed exemption would therefore require action at the Union level, including the necessary statutory and regulatory measures.
