Concerned about the quality of education imparted by the teachers, the National Council of Teachers (NCTE) has decided to recruit teachers nationwide after clearing the Central Teachers Eligibility Test (CTET). Despite the recruitment being a mammoth task after the implementation of the Right to Education (RTE) Act, the quality of the education imparted is something with which the Centre doesn't want to compromise at any cost. It is necessary to ensure that persons recruited as teachers possess the essential aptitude and ability to meet the challenges of teaching at the primary and upper primary level.The CTET, to be held on June 26 by the Central Board of Secondary Education, will be conducted in Tamil Nadu in Chennai, Coimbatore and Madurai. The NCTE is including a pass in the TET as a minimum qualification. While teachers applying to central board schools, including Kendriya Vidyalayas and Navodaya Vidyalayas, will have to take the test state governments have been given the option of adopting it as a minimum requirement for teachers in schools run by the state, local bodies and aided schools. Sources say that in Tamil Nadu, where teachers are taken in batches by the Teacher Recruitment Board on a seniority basis, the offer has not been taken up. A senior official said, “Some states are known to take in unqualified persons as teachers. The TET is applicable in these states. In Tamil Nadu we only take in trained and qualified teachers so there is no need for a TET.” Only candidates who have passed or are appearing for the final exam of the two-year diploma in elementary education, or four-year bachelor of elementary education, one-year bachelor in education can take the test. I P Kanagasundaram , former principal of a District Institute of Educational Training in the state, said, “A large number of private teacher training institutes have mushroomed in the state. Instead of only depending on the results of a test to verify the eligibility of a teacher, the government should monitor these training institutes to see if they have qualified principals and faculty. Checks should be conducted to see if the institutes provide instructions on how teachers should interact with children and cater to their needs, and on the importance and essence of being a teacher.”
