The DTF leaders described this dual stance as discriminatory and illogical.

DTF Questions TET-Based Promotion Policy in Punjab Schools

The Democratic Teachers Front (DTF), Punjab, has opposed the education department’s decision to make the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) a mandatory criterion for promotion from the primary cadre to the master cadre, describing the move as “unfair” and unjustified.

 DTF state president Vikramdev Singh, general secretary Mahinder Kauriyanwali, finance secretary Ashwani Awasthi and vice-president Jagpal Singh Bangi criticised the policy. They argued that it disproportionately affects head teachers and centre head teachers who have served for years without passing the TET.

According to the teachers’ body, the department’s approach is inconsistent because it allowed promotion of Elementary Teacher Training (ETT) teachers on the condition that they pass the TET within two years, while outright declaring head teachers and centre head teachers ineligible if they have not passed the test, DTF representatives said. 

The DTF leaders described this dual stance as discriminatory and illogical, asserting that TET was introduced in 2011 under the Right to Education Act and should not be applied retroactively to teachers recruited before its implementation. They pointed out that no such condition was ever applied to teachers appointed in 2010 or earlier and labelled the sudden enforcement of TET at the promotion stage as unjustified.

The teacher organisation has urged the Punjab government to intervene, provide exemptions for those appointed before TET became mandatory, and ensure that long-pending promotions are decided in their favour, DTF leaders said. The DTF cautioned that failure to address the issue could fuel further dissatisfaction among teaching staff across the state.

Source: Times of India