Tamil Nadu seeks RTE Act amendment to protect pre-2010 teachers

The Tamil Nadu Assembly on Tuesday adopted a resolution urging the Union Government to grant a complete and permanent exemption from the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) to teachers appointed before 23 August 2010.

Moving the resolution, School Education Minister A. Rajmohan said approximately 3.28 lakh government schoolteachers in the state could be affected by the mandatory TET requirement.

He said teachers who fail to clear the examination could face the loss of promotions and other service benefits, while some could also risk losing their positions.

The minister pointed out that many of the affected teachers had served continuously for 15 to 20 years. Requiring experienced educators to pass a newly imposed examination at this stage of their careers could threaten their job security and livelihoods, he said.

Through the resolution, the Assembly called on the Centre to amend Section 23 of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009, to facilitate the exemption.

It also sought corresponding guidelines from the National Council for Teacher Education to ensure that teachers appointed before the cut-off date can continue in service without disruption.

The resolution further urged the Centre to safeguard all service benefits available to the teachers, including their eligibility for promotion.

With PTI inputs