Tamil Nadu defies compulsory TET directive by Supreme Court, initiates review petition

The Tamil Nadu government on Monday submitted a review petition in the Supreme Court requesting that its September 1 directive mandating all in-service teachers to clear the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) within two years of joining be reconsidered, School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi informed reporters in Tiruchy yesterday, Tuesday, September 31.

The minister said the review petition challenged the Supreme Court order and grounds of relation, highlighting that retrospective effect of the mandatory TET rule would adversely affect 3.28 lakh teachers who had over five years of service remaining and about 67,000 close to retirement, The New Indian Express adds.

If the experienced teachers are declared to be unqualified or made to retire, it will leave schools empty in tens of thousands of schools, threatening the future of millions of children," he cautioned.

He further stated that the state was also considering the option of implementing special legislations in the next Assembly session to safeguard teachers and avoid disruption to the school education system.

Referring to the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) statement of August 23, 2010, exempting teachers appointed prior to the date from the TET requirement, Poyyamozhi said the state has asked that this exemption be continued.

"We have requested clarification that pre-2010 appointees should be eligible for promotion, and TET prospectively only for new appointments and promotions on or after 2010," he added.

The minister underlined that the government would implement the Supreme Court order unchanged and it could lead to an unprecedented deficit of more than four lakh teachers, which the state could not fill within two years. 

Such a situation, he asserted, would endanger rural, hilly, and disadvantaged children's right to education who have no other option but government schools.