SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir government will introduce a resolution in the upcoming session of the JK Legislative Assembly seeking support on the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) issue affecting in-service teachers, Education Minister Sakina Itoo said on Saturday.
Itoo said the government had already approached the Supreme Court seeking reconsideration of its order making TET mandatory for in-service teachers teaching primary and upper-primary classes.
She said the issue had caused considerable anxiety among teachers and was affecting the learning environment for students.
“We have already gone to the honourable court. But the teachers are in a lot of depression. The children’s education is being disturbed. When a teacher is mentally disturbed, how can he teach children?” Itoo said.
The minister said the government viewed the matter as one concerning the dignity and honour of teachers, rather than simply a requirement to appear for an examination.
“For us, the most important thing is that the test doesn’t matter. This is a matter of a teacher’s honour,” she said, adding that teachers who prepare millions of children for examinations should not be made to feel that their professional standing was being questioned.
Itoo said she would place a resolution before the Assembly once its session begins and seek its passage by a majority.
“I will bring a resolution. We will get that resolution passed in the majority, so that the teachers who are depressed can come out of their depression and teach children properly,” she said.
The issue stems from the Supreme Court’s May 29 ruling that made TET qualification mandatory for in-service teachers. The court, however, allowed such teachers until August 31, 2028, to clear the examination and continue in service.
The ruling has led to concern among a section of in-service teachers in Jammu and Kashmir, who have been seeking exemption from the TET requirement.
