Tamil Nadu: Special TET strikes terror among teachers

CHENNAI: Just three months away from the special Teachers Eligibility Tests (TET), announced by the Teachers Recruitment Board (TRB) for government teachers, panic grips in-service teachers.

Caught deep in a dilemma over writing a special TET announced by the TN government as per the orders of the Supreme Court, the teachers speaking to DT Next placed a slew of questions and urged the School Education department to intervene and clarify concerns before the TRB issues notification.

A week ago, the TRB announced January 24 and 25 as the exam dates for the first of three special TETs to be held for in-service secondary grade and post-graduate teachers. Over two lakh teachers are expected to apply for this exam in November.

The state government officially announced the three special TETs on October 13, following the apex court's September 1 order. It will be conducted alongside the regular TET for new candidates. The notification on the remaining two special TETs, to be held in July and December 2026, will be released on a future date, said the TRB.

Even though the state government assured that necessary training would be provided for the exam takers, the teachers are in a predicament if their promotions, based on seniority, might be affected if they fail to clear the exam, as opposed to those who do and are next in line.

An aided school teacher who has applied for the special exam noted that multiple underlying issues might unravel due to SC's order. The teacher listed seniority, challenges of clearing TET amidst regular classes, focus on students while preparing for the exam and possible surge in vacant posts as some of the worries plaguing teachers.

Meanwhile, a Chennai government school teacher admits to restlessness among her peers set to write TET. "Teachers are not quite confident that they can clear the exam, regardless of adequate training. There are several unanswered questions too, and they require immediate response from the School Education department," she said.

Raising a crucial question, if teachers with higher degrees will be given weightage marks like Kerala, she explained, "Kerala considers weightage marks for teachers with higher degrees set to write government exams. I am anticipating applying for TET after confirming if the TN government will announce weightage marks for TET here as well."

Another teacher listed personal concerns currently troubling them: What will be the future of teachers who fail? How will students or fellow teachers treat those who fail the TET or score low marks? And, as most of the teachers are women, how will they prepare for the exam whilst taking care of the family and importantly, job uncertainty among lakhs of teachers.

Among several of the woes, the secondary grade teachers (SGTs) who were appointed before 2011 and are expecting promotion are under compulsion to clear both TET papers, as SGTs appointed after 2011 have already cleared TET paper 1 as part of their selection process. Hence, those teaching classes 6 to 8, termed as Bachelor in Training (BT) teachers, have to clear TET paper 2 as per the SC order.

Incidentally, the SC ruled TET as non-negotiable for new appointments and in-service teachers, especially those appointed before the implementation of the Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009. The SGTs and BTs who have more than five years of service pending will have to clear TET in two years.

And, the apex judicial body ordered that teachers who were unable to clear TET, within the stipulated time will be forced to face compulsory or voluntary retirement. This order of the SC will apply to teachers of classes 1 to 8. And, in the case of TN, over two lakh teachers are expected to write the special TET in 2026.

However, it is vital to note that Kesang Y Sherpa, the member secretary of the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) during the national conference of TET in February 2024, highlighted that the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 recommends the implementation of TET at various levels. He also said that NCTE is working towards proposing the implementation of TET at the secondary level for teachers teaching classes 9 to 12 as well.

Though the state government decided to file a review petition against this order, the state pivoted to announcing special TETs.

Responding to this, a highly placed education department official acknowledged pressure among teachers; however, he added, "We will discuss further on various concerns raised by fellow officials and teachers with the minister and secretary. Also, the TRB notification will clarify most doubts."