Testing time for teachers

In less than a week, the fate of over 3000 teachers, presently working in government and government-aided schools in the state for the past several years will be decided through the Teachers Eligibility Test (TET) that they have been forced to take up on April 29 and 30. For those who fail to clear the test, a career that promised stability and fulfilment is likely to face a premature end. 

Members of the Tamil Nadu Teachers Association (TNTA) claim that the government directive making clearing TET mandatory for teachers who have been already in service and have been recruited under government norms, is unfair and should be done away with. While they welcome the centre’s directive making TET mandatory for all teachers, they have been fighting the case of around 500 teachers recruited sometime in 2010 and another 2,500 government-aided school teachers who are facing the axe.

TNTA State president PK Ilamaran told DT Next that the problem for government teachers centred around 3,200 teachers recruited under government orders 152, 153, issued in June 2010. “The main issue is that, while the recruitment of all the teachers was sanctioned on the same date, it had been done in several phases over the next couple of years. 

During this period, the state government issued an order making it mandatory for all teachers to clear TET, pending which, their recruitment could be stalled. Thus, around 500 teachers, most of whom have been recruited under the ‘privileged category’ have been forced to write TET, while the remaining 2,700 who were recruited along with them, have been exempted,” he said. 

Venkat (40) from Kancheepuram is one among the 500 teachers who were recruited based on their seniority, but is now forced to write the TET. He was selected under the privilege category as he had an inter-caste marriage. “The government, in a progressive  move, gave people like me privilege for marrying out of caste, but now my fate hangs in the balance,” Venkat, who is a postgraduate in Chemistry, said. Following his appointment at a government school here, Venkat quit his job and took up teaching in a government school in 2011. “I chose a government job as I could help the underprivileged children. But after working for five years and even producing some district rankers, my teaching ability is being tested through a test meant for freshers, while several recruited along with me are exempted,” he said. 

For him, the problem is not clearing the test but the lack of time. “We are teaching students to perform to the best of their ability and the board exams are just over. Now, where do I have the time to take the test?” he said.  Besides, out of the 150 questions asked in TET, only 9  questions will be in Chemistry. “I specialise in chemistry and can handle those questions, but how do I equip myself for other questions after teaching the same subject for so many years?” he asked. 

While this is the plight of government teachers, the trouble is more for the teachers of the government-aided schools., who were hired by the school management before TET was made mandatory by GO 181 on Nov 15, 2011. Many school teachers were recruited without TET certification. When the TET was held in September 2012, around 3,000 government-aided teachers were expected to appear the test, failing which, 400 teachers were terminated and they went to court. “We have been notified by the government saying that if we fail to clear the upcoming TET, we will be terminated,” said Kumaresh, a teacher working at an aided-school in the city. 

After working for so many years and training students, these teachers have been asked to leave and seek other work. “It is unfair and the government should do something about it,” he said. 

To compound the problem of these 3,000-odd teachers, TET, which is expected to be held twice a year since the government made it mandatory for teacher-qualification, has been held only twice so far. “We are expected to get 10 chances to clear the TET over a period of five years, but the state has conducted the test only twice in five years and we are expected to clear this with one attempt,” lamented Venkat.

Officials are clear that they will go with the government order. “Any appointment process started before 23.8. 2010 will not have to undergo the eligibility test. The Teachers Recruitment Board  has clarified that exception will be given to the person whose appointment process had been initiated prior to the notification date: August 23, 2010.,” said a senior official from School Education Department. On the delay in holding the examinations, when compared to other states, he said that there were several cases pending in courts related to TET and hence the tests could not be held as scheduled. With the next TET just a few days away, members of the TNTA remain clueless about the fate of 3,000 of its members.