THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Complying with a Supreme Court order, the state general education department has issued revised guidelines making the Kerala-Teacher Eligibility Test (K-TET) mandatory for teacher appointments up to Class X in government and aided schools. Notably, the order containing the revised guidelines was issued on January 1 despite an assurance from General Education Minister V Sivankutty that Kerala would file a review petition or approach the Supreme Court seeking clarity on its verdict.
For in-service teachers, clearing K-TET Category III exam will be mandatory to qualify for promotion as head teachers or for ‘by-transfer’ appointments to the Higher Secondary section. The government has also revoked earlier exemptions from K-TET granted to candidates holding higher academic qualifications such as SET, NET, MPhil, PhD and MEd.
Teacher aspirants who have cleared K-TET Category I or II will be eligible for Lower Primary (LP) and Upper Primary (UP) teacher appointments. However, for high school teacher appointments, clearing K-TET category III is compulsory. The government has decided to continue with the exemption for candidates who have passed the Central Teacher Eligibility Test (C-TET). Those with C-TET Primary stage qualification will be considered for LP appointments, while candidates with C-TET Elementary stage qualification will be eligible for UP appointments.
Prominent teachers’ unions affiliated to the ruling and opposition fronts have urged the state government to reconsider the order. T K A Safi, state general secretary of pro-left Kerala School Teachers’ Association (KSTA), said it was unfair to implement the guidelines without giving sufficient time for in-service teachers, who had applied for promotion, to clear K-TET.
“At a time when the apex court has given a two-year relaxation for in-service teachers, issuing such guidelines in haste is illogical,” said K Abdul Majeed, president of pro-Congress teachers’ union KPSTA.
TIGHTENING NORMS
K-TET Category I for teacher appointment in LP, II for UP and III for HS
K-TET Category III mandatory for head teacher promotion, ‘by-transfer’ to HSS
K-TET exemption to SET, NET, MPhil, PhD and MEd holders revoked
K-TET also compulsory for appointments under differently-abled quota