Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly has unanimously passed a resolution seeking exemption of Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) for teachers appointed before October 31, 2019.
Minister for School Education Sakeena Itoo moved the resolution in the assembly on Tuesday, but it was deferred until Thursday after Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather said several MLAs wanted to speak on the issue.
The resolution sought amendments to the Right to Education Act to exempt teachers appointed before October 31, 2019, from appearing in the TET.
“This House unanimously urges the Union Government to make necessary statutory amendment to Section 23 of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, to exempt all teachers appointed before October 31, 2019 from appearing in the TET,” read the resolution.
“The House further urges the Union Government to take all necessary legal steps and issue the requisite notification through the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) for exemption of TET,” it added.
Speaking during the discussion, ruling National Conference (NC) MLA Farooq Shah said teachers working for several years should be exempt from the TET, while freshers should go through examination.
However, he said the teachers should be sent for regular training.
The MLA also called for establishing and strengthening District Institute of Education and Training (DIETs) in every constituency.
Another NC MLA, Nazir Gurezi, while supporting the resolution, said teachers should have the highest salary because they teach students who go on to become doctors, engineers and IAS officers.
Itoo expressed gratitude to the members for supporting the resolution, while noting that only one other state has passed such a resolution.
“J-K will be the second. We have to place before the Union government that we cannot support any infringement of teachers’ dignity. We are not saying the teachers cannot write the examination, but we cannot ask them to prove their worth by writing a test when many of their students have become doctors and IAS officers,” she said.
Itoo said the J-K government has already approached the Supreme Court over the matter, and appealed to the BJP members to impress upon the Centre to tell the SC that teachers are capable of writing tests, but it is a matter of their dignity.
The minister called upon the House to adopt the resolution.
After discussions, the Speaker put the resolution to a voice vote and it was passed unanimously.
