April 22, 2013, 12:00 am
It has been made mandatory for schools to appoint teachers who have cleared the central teacher eligibility test (CTET) to improve the quality of teachers. However, with hardly any CTET-qualified candidates available in the state, the CBSE schools are busy hiring teaching staff before the academic session begins in June.
Sources reveal that only 5% teachers selected in CBSE schools in the state have cleared the test conducted by the board. Meanwhile, the state government has already made entrance exam compulsory for recruitment of teachers in government and aided schools.
CTET is conducted for the appointment of candidates at two levels -- primary-level teachers (Class 1 to V) and junior-level teachers (Class VI to VIII) -- in accordance with the provisions of the Right to Education Act.
The rationale for including CTET as a minimum qualification for a person to be eligible for appointment as teacher is that it would bring national standards and benchmark of teacher quality in the recruitment process. Sources said it was also expected to induce teacher education institutions and students from these institutions to further improve their performance standards besides sending a positive signal to all stakeholders that the government lays special emphasis on teacher quality. The validity period of CTET qualifying certificate for appointment is seven years from the date of declaration of results for all categories. There is also no restriction on the number of attempts a person can take for clearing the test. A person who has qualified CTET may also appear again for improving his/her score.
"We get almost 25 to 30 candidates for one teaching post. But none of them are CTET qualified. At present, we have difficulty in getting a teacher with language proficiency, good communication skills and excellent subject knowledge. In such a scenario, we can’t really hope to hire a CTET-qualified candidate," said K Unnikrishnan, president of the Confederation of Kerala Sahodaya Complexes.
Sources reveal that hardly 5% teachers selected in CBSE schools in the state have cleared the test conducted by the board.
