Govt to take a call in two weeks on conducting TET

The test, which is eagerly anticipated by lakhs of  teaching aspirants in the State, could not be conducted last year due to COVID-19 and the lockdown. It is mandatory to clear the test to be eligible for appointment as teachers.

The  authorities  were  consulting  the health experts on conducting TET and a notification would be issued based on their recommendation, said a senior official from the School Education  Department.

“The  decision on whether to conduct TET or not  would be  taken in a week or two,” the official said. The test for teaching  aspirants  was  last  conducted  in  2019.

“As  TET  was  cancelled  last  year, more than 10  lakh aspirants are expected  to  apply  if  the  exam  is  conducted  this  year.  If  the  government  decides  to  conduct it this year, the notification  would  be  issued  three  months  prior  to  the  examination so that the aspirants  have  enough  time  to apply and prepare,” said the official.

As per the provisions of the Right of  Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, the National Council for Teacher Education  (NCTE)  had  made TET mandatory to be eligible  for  appointment  as  a teacher in classes 1 to 8.

The official said from 2011-12  to  2019-20,  Tamil  Nadu Teachers  Recruitment Board (TNTRB) recruited  46,116 persons to various teaching posts,  including government  schools.

“In  2019-20 alone,  the  government had appointed  3,048  teachers  through TNTRB,”  he added. To be eligible   for  appointment  as  secondary grade  teachers,  who  teach  classes   1   to   5,   aspirants   have  to  pass  TET  Paper-I.

Likewise,   graduate   teachers, who handle classes 5 to 8,  would  have  to  complete  TET Paper-II.Paper-I   of   the   test   has   child  development  pedagogy,  language,  mathematics  and environmental studies.

Paper-II  has  child  development   pedagogy,   language and English. After  that,  candidates  may  choose  either  mathematics  and  science or only social science. Both  Paper  I  and  II  carry  total marks of 150.