Avinash Azad
In a dramatic, emotion-filled session at the Jammu & Kashmir Legislative Assembly, Education Minister Sakina Ittoo successfully spearheaded a landmark resolution urging the Central Government to exempt in-service government teachers from the mandatory Teacher Eligibility Test (TET).
With this passage, Jammu & Kashmir becomes only the second state/UT in India to adopt such a resolution against universal TET requirements for sitting faculty.
The resolution—which specifically seeks an amendment to “Section 23 of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009” to shield teachers appointed before January 1, 2019—was originally moved on Tuesday. However, intense friction and procedural objections from opposition benches forced Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather to defer the floor proceedings to Thursday.
When debate resumed, the chamber turned into a battleground: Opposition Pushback: Members from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alongside AAP MLA Mehraj Malik voiced strong opposition against waiving eligibility standards for active educators.
Minister’s Passionate Defense: Visibly emotional on the floor, Minister Sakina Ittoo shut down the pushback, framing the issue not as a compromise on quality, but as a defense of self-respect for long-serving educators.
“Our teachers are already undergoing tremendous pressure. Apart from teaching students, their services are utilized for various non-academic administrative works as well,” Minister Ittoo stated. “They can qualify for this TET, but for their dignity, our government has brought this resolution. The opposition is merely trying to mislead the public.” The issue stems from nationwide guidelines mandating TET clearance for active educators to retain promotional avenues and service benefits under central guidelines. By taking the parliamentary, the J&K Assembly has formally put the ball back in New Delhi’s court to notify necessary exemptions through the NCTE. Following heated debates, Speaker Rather called for floor voting, where the ruling majority successfully passed the motion.
