Hyderabad: The All India Joint Action Committee of Teachers’ Organisations (AIJACTO) urged the central govt to swiftly intervene in the Supreme Court judgment that mandates all teachers appointed prior to the implementation of the Right to Education (RTE) Act to pass the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) within two years or face removal from service. This ruling is expected to impact nearly 30 lakh teachers across the country.
On Friday, AIJACTO representatives met Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan in Parliament and submitted a memorandum outlining their demands. They emphasised that the govt should protect the jobs of senior teachers, even if legislative amendments are required. The delegation also called for relaxations in the TET syllabus and qualifying marks to address the concerns of affected educators.
“Six months have already passed since the judgment, leaving teachers in a state of mental distress,” said Chava Ravi, a govt teacher from the state. He added that thousands of teachers from across the country gathered at Jantar Mantar to stage a dharna.
Ravi urged the govt to take a decision without further delay to provide relief to the teaching community. The delegation also raised other pressing issues, including the abolition of the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS), ensuring minimum wages for contract employees, and repealing provisions in the National Education Policy that they say harm public education, among others.
The delegation also met the Congress president and Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, on the Parliament premises.
