ERODE : Tamil Nadu Graduate Teachers Federation blamed the government for the poor pass percentage of the recently-held Teachers Eligibility Test (TET) and raised suspicion that the question papers were deliberately made tough to discourage prospective candidates. The association also questioned the necessity of TET.
They claimed that all the teachers got qualifications from universities, school of education and college of education exams approved by the government, so there is no need for TET. However, if State insists on teachers passing TET, those who have failed should be given special training and another chance to write the exam, they demanded.
Suspicion raised
The teachers joined the stirs of JACTO-GEO en masse and over 2,000 teachers are still facing charges. To penalise the teachers’ community in toto, especially over 1,000 teachers, who were working without passing TET, the exam papers were made tough by TRB, they suspected.
Recollecting history
Of the over 5.5 lakh, who wrote the exam, less than one per cent passed the exam. The TET was announced on September 23, 2010, under the Right to Education Act and as per the norm, only those who passed in the exam would be qualified to work as teachers.
One has to join a government job within seven years of passing the exam or else they have to write the exam again. As per the norm, the Centre is holding the exam once in six months. However, in Tamil Nadu, the exam was first conducted on March 23, 2012, and so far it was conducted only five times. If the State government follow the norms, it would be easier for the teachers.
Minister’s stand
About the change in syllabus for TET, Sengottaiyan explained that only if teachers follow the new syllabus issued by the School Education Department, they can pass the TET. “Now, 1,500 government school teachers would be trained to face the TET and only if they pass the test, they would be allowed to continue in the service,” he clarified.
Sengottaiyan refuted the charges that TRB made the TET question paper tough deliberately to fail the teachers and penalise them for opposing various policies of the government. The questions were asked from the new syllabus only. So, those who studied it could have passed the exam easily, he added.
Talking to TNIE, the federation members highlight their grievances
Secondary grade teachers take classes up to primary level and graduate teachers up to class X. However, the question papers were not set according. They were asked questions from class XI and XII
Psychology questions were asked from books written by foreign authors while as per the curriculum the teachers followed books by Indian authors.
The teachers were asked questions from both the old and new syllabi. This created confusion while they were preparing for the exam
In May, it was announced that the exams would be held in June. At that time, teachers are entrusted with the job of correcting answer scripts of the students. So, they were unable to concentrate on the exam.
Allotment of marks for various type of questions — 30 marks each for Tamil, English, Maths, Psychology and GK — also confused many.
Federation’s demand
if State insists on teachers passing TET, those who have failed should be given special training and another chance to write the exam