Jammu and Kashmir Education Minister Sakina Itoo on Saturday said the government will bring a resolution in the upcoming session of the J&K Assembly on the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) issue, amid concerns among in-service teachers following the Supreme Court ruling making the test mandatory.
Itoo said the government has already approached the Supreme Court on the issue. The J&K government had filed a review petition before the Supreme Court seeking reconsideration of its order mandating the TET for all in-service teachers of primary and upper-primary classes.
“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.
She said the issue was not merely about appearing for an examination but was also linked to the dignity and honour of teachers.
“For us, the most important thing is that the test doesn’t matter. This is a matter of a teacher’s honour. A teacher who prepares millions of children for exams cannot give a test. He can, but it is a matter of his honour. That is why the teachers’ honour is important for us,” the minister said.
Itoo said the government would seek the Assembly’s support on the matter.
“After the Assembly begins, 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 follows the Supreme Court’s May 29 ruling, which held that clearing the TET is mandatory for in-service teachers. The court, however, provided teachers with time until August 31, 2028, to qualify the examination and continue in service.
The ruling has triggered concern among a large section of in-service teachers in Jammu and Kashmir, who have been seeking relief from the mandatory TET requirement.
Last week, Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution urging the union government to grant a full and permanent exemption from the TET to government school teachers appointed before August 23, 2010. (Agencies)
