CHENNAI: As many as 4,80,123 candidates have applied for Paper I and Paper II of the Teachers’ Eligibility Test (TET) scheduled on November 15 and 16 in the state. While the notification was issued earlier, this will be the first TET to be held after the Supreme Court’s September 1 verdict, which made the test mandatory for all in-service teachers.
The top court which exempted only those with less than five years of service left from clearing the exam to retain their jobs, however, ruled out any exemption for promotions.
The order is expected to directly impact about 1.7 lakh teachers in the school education department, besides thousands working in schools under other government departments and in private sector. Of the teachers working in government schools, around 32,000 have cleared TET. Apart from them, there are around 1.35 lakh teachers, in non-government institutions, who have cleared TET in the Tamil Nadu.
This year’s applicant numbers have marginally surpassed the 4.1 lakh candidates who appeared for the TET in 2022. Since 2012, TN has conducted only six TETs and one supplementary test, though National Council for Teacher Education norms mandate holding the exam once every year.
In response to the court ruling, the Teachers Recruitment Board extended the application deadline from September 8 to 10.
Even as TN prepares to file a review plea against the Supreme Court order, it is also planning to hold additional TETs over the next two years to give aspirants more opportunities, as the test has now become mandatory qualification for teachers in all schools.