Himanta presents TET road map

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GUWAHATI, Aug 30: The Teachers’ Eligibility Test (TET), first of its kind in Assam, will be held on December 4, 2011 and its results will be announced on December 23, 2011.
Making the detailed TET schedule public at a press meet in Guwahati on Tuesday, State Education Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said: “Application forms for the TET will be issued through as many as 155 circle-level post offices in the State from September 23, 2011 to October 10, 2011; application forms along with Rs 350 as fees for examinations and marksheets will be received by the 155 circle-level post offices till October 17, 2011; admit cards for the test will be issued on November 17, 2011; the test will be held on December 4, 2011 and the results will be declared on December 23, 2011.”
According to the minister, the Centre, under the Right to Education (RTE) Act, has already issued gazette notification for holding TET in Assam. Though qualifications like BEd and diploma in Education are compulsory for taking TET, according to the minister, the Centre has relaxed this norm in Assam till 2015. “However, if a candidate is appointed as a teacher after qualifying TET and the subsequent interview, he or she has to acquire either diploma in Education of BEd for the posts of both primary and ME school teachers within two years of appointment so as to get his or her job regularized,” he said, and added: “The minimum qualification required for the post of LP school teacher is HS pass in any stream with at least 50 per cent marks (45 per cent for candidates belonging to SCs, STs and OBCs) and graduation with at least 50 per cent marks (45 per cent for candidates belonging to SCs, STs and OBCs) for the post of teacher in ME school. The qualifying marks for TET is 60 per cent for general candidates and 55 per cent for candidates belonging to SCs, STs and OBCs.”
This initiative, according to Sarma, has been taken to appoint at least 35,000 LP and ME school teachers by March 31, 2012 in the State. “If a candidate qualifies TET, he can apply for seven years without appearing in TET any more, but if he fails to get any job in seven years, he has to appear in TET again to be eligible to apply for the post of teachers,” Sarma said, and added: “There is provision for improvement of marks in TET. A candidate qualifying TET can take the test again in order to improve his score. Since the Centre has made TET compulsory, sikshamitras who have been agitating demanding their direct appointment as teachers won’t be accepted. Eligible candidates among them will have to take TET if at all they want to get appointed as teachers.”
According to Sarma, the evaluation of the answer scripts of TET will be done in a computerized way that will be monitored by eight educationists from December 4 to December 23 in order to ensure transparency. “Details of TET will be published as advertisements in newspapers,” he said, and added that the course of diploma in Education would be started in a massive way from the coming academic session in the State.
On ‘‘rationalization’’ of teachers, the minister said: “The State has as many as 7,500 lower primary and upper primary single-teacher schools. Thrust is on converting the single-teacher schools to two-teacher ones from the coming academic session. The deputy commissioners have been empowered to transfer teachers along with their posts, and the move has the approval of the Finance Department.”  (SentinelAssam)