*YSRCP urges TET exemption for senior in-service teachers*

New Delhi, Aug 13: A YSRCP delegation met Union Education Minister Prahlad Joshi in New Delhi on Thursday and urged the Centre to exempt senior in-service teachers from the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) and take necessary steps, including amendment of the Right to Education Act.

The delegation, comprising MPs Golla Baburao and Maddila Gurumoorthy and Teacher MLCs MV Ramachandra Reddy, Parvatha Reddy Chandrasekhar Reddy and Kalpalatha Reddy, requested the Centre to review the Supreme Court judgment making TET qualification mandatory. They said teachers who joined service before 2011 and completed 20 to 30 years of service should not be forced to qualify in TET at the age of 50 and above.

Speaking to the media after the meeting, the YSRCP leaders said around one lakh teachers in Andhra Pradesh and lakhs across the country were affected. They questioned why the State government had not filed a review petition in the Supreme Court and why the NDA government had not amended Section 23 of the Right to Education Act.

They said asking senior teachers to write an online examination covering all subjects was unfair and violated their basic rights. If an examination was unavoidable, it should be conducted offline and only in the subject taught by the teacher.

The leaders said teachers had time until August 31, 2028, to qualify, but were being unnecessarily worried about jobs and promotions. They demanded that the State Assembly pass a resolution seeking exemption. YSRCP said it would raise the issue in Parliament, introduce a Private Member’s Bill if necessary and continue its legal and legislative fight for in-service teachers.