CHENNAI: Following consultations with various teachers’ associations on Thursday over the recent Supreme Court ruling mandating that all in-service teachers clear the Teachers’ Eligibility Test (TET) within two years, School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi said the state is likely to seek a review of the order before the apex court.
Reiterating that the “Dravidian Model government” would ensure teachers are not adversely affected, he said Chief Minister M K Stalin also discussed the matter with him. “This involves the livelihood of several lakhs of teachers, including 1.7 lakh in government and aided schools. The CM will be apprised of the options discussed in the meeting,” he said, assuring that the government would stand with them.
“We considered various options, including filing a review petition. We will consult DMK MP P Wilson on the legal aspects and have also asked teachers’ associations to explore filing a review petition themselves. We will also hold discussions with education ministers of other states, including Maharashtra, as the issue has nationwide implications. Officials have been asked to examine the available channels,” the minister said.
He noted that teachers’ representatives had expressed willingness to take a special TET examination to safeguard their service and promotions. “However, we are also exploring options to see if there is a way to exempt them from the test. We discussed approaching Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to seek an amendment to the NCTE guidelines so that teachers who joined service prior to 2010 are exempted,” he added.