Kohima, August 29 (MExN): The All Nagaland School Teachers’ Association (ANSTA) has urged the Nagaland government to exempt senior in-service teachers from the proposed mandatory Nagaland Teacher Eligibility Test (N-TET), particularly those appointed under the qualifications and recruitment rules prevailing at the time of their appointment.
In a representation to the Principal Director, Directorate of School Education, Nagaland, the association said many senior teachers had been appointed by competent authorities after fulfilling the qualifications prescribed by the government at that time and had since rendered 15, 20 or even 25 years of continuous and satisfactory service.
ANSTA said it would be inequitable to retrospectively impose qualification requirements on teachers who were not required to possess them when appointed and whose appointments and continuation in service had been accepted by the government.
The association also cited a Directorate of School Education press release dated September 4, 2017, which stated that elementary teachers appointed before September 3, 2001, were exempted from undergoing D.El.Ed training.
The order also recognised certain existing qualifications and made arrangements for other categories, including B.Ed-qualified teachers and those possessing DIET/SCERT diplomas, it said.
ANSTA said the exemption was particularly relevant to the proposed N-TET, arguing that teachers officially exempted from D.El.Ed training should not now be disadvantaged for not possessing the same qualification.
It said the absence of D.El.Ed in such cases was not due to negligence or unwillingness to undergo professional training but resulted from an exemption granted by the government itself.
Many of the affected teachers had acquired decades of practical teaching experience and served generations of students, the association said. Requiring them to acquire a qualification from which they were earlier exempted and then appear for an eligibility examination could create serious difficulties, particularly for those approaching retirement.
ANSTA also referred to a resolution unanimously adopted by the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly on August 25, urging the Centre to grant a full and permanent exemption from TET to government teachers appointed before August 23, 2010.
The association said the Tamil Nadu government had pointed out that around 3,28,701 teachers appointed before that date could be affected by the TET requirement. It said the development deserved consideration in Nagaland as the issue concerned not merely passing an examination but fairness, legitimate expectation, continuity of service and protection of teachers appointed under an earlier regulatory framework.
While supporting professional standards in school education, ANSTA said an eligibility test meant primarily to ensure minimum standards for new appointments should not retrospectively penalise teachers lawfully appointed under earlier rules who had already rendered years of satisfactory service.
The association sought a permanent N-TET exemption for senior in-service teachers appointed before the introduction or enforcement of the applicable TET requirement under the qualifications prescribed at the time of their appointment.
It specifically sought exemption for teachers covered by earlier government orders exempting them from D.El.Ed or other professional training, including those covered by the September 4, 2017 order concerning teachers appointed before September 3, 2001.
ANSTA also urged the government to recognise 10, 15, 20 or more years of continuous satisfactory service as a basis for exemption and ensure that such teachers are not denied promotion, salary, increments, pensionary or other service benefits, or continuity of service, merely for not possessing a professional qualification from which they had earlier been exempted.
It requested the constitution of a committee to identify similarly placed teachers and examine their appointment orders, qualifications and applicable exemption orders.
The association further urged the state government to consider a policy similar in principle to the Tamil Nadu resolution and take up the matter with the Centre and the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE), wherever necessary, for an appropriate exemption or clarification.
Pending a final decision, ANSTA sought protection from adverse action and requested that the service, promotion and other legitimate benefits of affected teachers be protected.
“The ANSTA believes that a teacher should not be made a victim of the changing rules of the system after having faithfully served under the rules that existed when he or she entered service,” the association said.
