Teachers to launch struggle against TET requirement

Hyderabad: A round table meeting of national teachers’ unions has decided to launch a united struggle demanding exemption from the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) for in-service teachers.

The meeting, held on Wednesday at Harikishan Singh Surjeet Bhawan in New Delhi, was chaired by School Teachers’ Federation of India (STFI) President C.N. Bharti.

Fifteen representatives from eight organisations attended the discussion, convened under the aegis of STFI.

Call for immediate TET exemption

Leaders participating in the meeting expressed concern over the Supreme Court’s September 1 verdict requiring teachers appointed before the Right to Education (RTE) Act to clear TET within two years.

According to the collective statement of the unions, the judgment was possible only because “the Central Government and the NCTE failed to provide correct and complete information to the Supreme Court.” Representatives noted that even after widespread protests and interventions by Members of Parliament, “the Central Government has remained indifferent.”

Concerns over 15 years of unresolved Issues

Speakers termed it “unfortunate” that 15 years after the implementation of the RTE Act, the concerns of in-service teachers remain unresolved.

They argued that many teachers have been working for years under government-approved recruitment systems and should not be subjected to additional qualifying requirements at this stage of their careers.

Wider set of National demands

Alongside the TET issue, the unions unanimously agreed to mount a joint national-level struggle on several long-standing demands. These include:

• Scrapping the New Pension Scheme (NPS) and Unified Pension Scheme (UPS) and restoring the Old Pension Scheme.

• Scrapping the National Education Policy (NEP).

• Stopping merger and closure of schools.

• Reducing non-teaching burdens and ensuring teachers are confined to teaching duties alone.

• Replacing contract and temporary staff in the education sector with regular appointments.

• Implementing minimum wages and related service protections.

The unions stressed that these issues collectively affect the quality of public education and the working conditions of teachers across the country.

Next Steps : Action to Follow

It was resolved that another meeting will be held online within a week to finalise a “concrete action programme” for the nationwide campaign.