Srinagar, Sept 24 : The Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly on Thursday passed a resolution urging the Centre to exempt teachers appointed before October 31, 2019 from appearing in the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET), seeking a statutory amendment to the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009.
The resolution, moved by School Education Minister Sakeena Itoo earlier this week, calls upon the Union Government to amend Section 23 of the RTE Act to provide the exemption and take the necessary legal steps for its implementation through the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE).
The move comes after the Supreme Court held that TET is a minimum qualification for teachers covered by the RTE Act. In May this year, the court extended the deadline for acquiring the qualification to August 31, 2028 and observed that TET should preferably be conducted twice a year to give teachers sufficient opportunities to qualify.
During the discussion in the House, members raised concerns over the application of the TET requirement to teachers who had been appointed years before the test became applicable in Jammu and Kashmir.
The issue also came under discussion in the context of the difficulties faced by teachers in remote areas. Gurez MLA Nazir Ahmad Gurezi said that enforcing the requirement without considering the ground situation could create problems in areas where schools already face shortages of subject teachers.
The resolution now seeks action at the Union Government level, as the Assembly itself cannot amend Section 23 of the central RTE Act.(KNS)
Assembly passes TET exemption resolution
House urges Centre to spare teachers appointed before Oct 31, 2019 from eligibility test; seeks amendment to RTE Act
Firdous Ahmad Ahanger, known by his pen name Sagar Firdous from Journalism Background is a dedicated journalist Compeleted his PG Diploma in Urdu Journalism at Kashmir University ,Currently working as Online Editor at Kashmir News Service (KNS),
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