Kolkata, Sept. 13 -- Teachers appointed to the normal section before 2016 are seeking clarity on whether they will have to appear for the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET).

From the 2016 recruitment system, the School Service Commission began recruiting teachers separately for upper-primary, secondary and higher-secondary sections. Before that, there was no such division, and teachers appointed for Classes V to X were categorised as normal-section teachers. Many of those appointed under the earlier system continue to teach Classes V to VIII.

The demand follows the state government's recent move to arrange TET for eligible in-service teachers in line with the Supreme Court's directions. Teacher organisations want the School Education Department to issue a clear notification specifying whether normal-section teachers will come under the TET requirement.

Teachers' organisations argue that those appointed under the earlier rules should not be required to take TET merely because they currently teach lower classes. They have also sought clarity on whether higher-secondary teachers currently taking Classes V to VIII because of teacher shortages will have to appear for TET or be restricted to the classes for which they were appointed.

Animesh Halder of the Secondary Teachers and Employees' Association said teachers appointed under the earlier system should not be brought under a subsequent eligibility requirement retrospectively.

The Shikshanuragi Aikya Mancha has sought recognition of existing Central TET and State TET certificates and clarity on certificates issued under earlier TET rules.

The All Post Graduate Teachers' Welfare Association (APGTWA) has raised similar concerns and sought details of the state's response to a report sought by the Union Ministry of Education from the state on December 31, 2025. Meanwhile, D.El.Ed and B.Ed students have demanded that eligible fresh candidates also be allowed to appear for TET instead of restricting the examination to serving teachers.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.