Srinagar, Sep 24: Khan Sahib MLA Saif-ud-Din Bhat has welcomed the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly’s unanimous resolution seeking exemption from the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) for teachers appointed before October 31, 2019, saying the contribution and long years of service rendered by teachers deserve recognition and respect.
The Assembly on Thursday adopted the resolution moved by School Education Minister Sakeena Itoo, urging the Union Government to amend Section 23 of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009, to exempt teachers appointed before October 31, 2019, from appearing in the TET. The resolution also calls for necessary legal steps and a notification through the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE).
Bhat supported the move, highlighting the service rendered by teachers over several years and the role they have played in educating generations of students. He said the concerns of teachers should be addressed with due consideration for their experience and contribution to the education system.
The resolution comes in the wake of the Supreme Court’s ruling that TET is a minimum qualification for teachers covered under the Right to Education Act. The court had also extended the deadline for in-service teachers to acquire TET qualification from August 31, 2027, to August 31, 2028.
The issue had generated discussion among legislators and teachers’ organisations after the government initially proposed January 1, 2019, as the cut-off date. The J&K Teachers Forum had urged the government to extend the proposed exemption to teachers appointed before October 31, 2019, arguing that the RTE and TET provisions became applicable in Jammu and Kashmir following the reorganisation of the erstwhile state on that date.
The Assembly’s resolution now places the request before the Union Government for the required statutory amendment. The measure does not itself amend the central RTE Act, but formally urges the Centre to take the necessary legal and regulatory steps for the proposed exemption.
Bhat, who represents Khan Sahib constituency in Budgam and is a Jammu and Kashmir National Conference MLA, has also previously raised education-related concerns in the Assembly, including issues connected with development and public services in his constituency.
The development has been welcomed in the context of wider discussions over teachers’ service conditions, workload and professional concerns in Jammu and Kashmir. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had last month also acknowledged teachers’ service-related issues, including transfers, vacancies and departmental promotion committees, and said the government would work to address genuine concerns of the teaching community.
The Assembly’s unanimous resolution now awaits consideration by the Union Government and the relevant central authorities.
