The Jharkhand High Court has pulled up the state government for its failure to conduct the Teachers’ Eligibility Test (TET) for nearly a decade, questioning its intent in filling assistant teacher vacancies in government schools.
Justice Ananda Sen, while hearing a writ petition filed by Nilam Kumari, directed the School Education and Literacy Department to submit an affidavit clarifying whether the government plans to hold the TET in the future. The court also asked the department to provide a clear time frame within which fresh examinations will be conducted.
The bench noted that Jharkhand has not conducted TET examinations since 2016, leaving thousands of job aspirants deprived of opportunities to enter government service as assistant teachers. “The government must inform about its intent as to whether it will conduct the TET examination in the future or not,” the order stated.
Citing the guidelines of the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE), the court observed that states are mandated to conduct the TET at least once every year. The prolonged delay, it said, not only violates these guidelines but also jeopardises the career prospects of eligible candidates.
The case has been listed for further hearing on September 22, by which time the education department is expected to submit its affidavit.
