Guidelines for conducting Teacher Eligibility Test

Background and Rationale

The implementation of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009 requires the recruitment of a large number of teachers across the country in a time bound manner. Inspite of the enormity of the task, it is desirable to ensure that quality requirement for recruitment of teachers are not diluted at any cost. It is therefore necessary to ensure that persons recruited as teachers possess the essential aptitude and ability to meet the challenges of teaching at the primary and upper primary level.

In accordance with the provisions of sub-section (1) of section 23 of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) has laid down the minimum qualifications for a person to be eligible for appointment as a teacher in class I to VIII, vide its Notification dated August 23, 2010. A copy of the Notification is attached in the following. One of the essential qualifications for a person to be eligible for appointment as a teacher in any of the schools referred to in clause (n) of section 2 of the RTE Act is that he/she should pass the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) which will be conducted by the appropriate Government.

The rationale for including the TET as a minimum qualification for a person to be eligible for appointment as a teacher is as under:

• It would bring national standards and benchmark of teacher quality in the recruitment process.
• It would induce teacher education institutions and students from these institutions to further improve their performance standards.
• It would send a positive signal to all stakeholders that the Government lays special emphasis on teacher quality.

The TET examination may be conducted by a suitable professional body designated by the appropriate Government for the purpose. It will be conducted in accordance with the Guidelines hereunder.

Eligibility

The following persons shall be eligible for appearing in the TET:

• A person who has acquired the academic and professional qualifications specified in the NCTE Notification dated 23rd August 2010.
• A person who is pursuing any of the teacher education courses (recognized by the NCTE or the RCI, as the case may be) specified in the NCTE Notification dated 23rd August 2010.
• The eligibility condition for appearing in TET may be relaxed in respect of a State/UT which has been granted relaxation under sub-section (2) of section 23 of the RTE Act. The relaxation will be specified in the Notification issued by the Central Government under that sub-section.

Structure and Content of TET

The structure and content of the TET is given in the following paragraphs. All questions will be Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs), each carrying one mark, with four alternatives out of which one answer will be correct. There will be no negative marking.

The examining body should strictly adhere to the structure and content of the TET specified below.

There will be two papers of the TET. Paper I will be for a person who intends to be a teacher for classes I to V. Paper II will be for a person who intends to be a teacher for classes VI to VIII. A person who intends to be a teacher either for classes I to V or for classes VI to VIII will have to appear in both papers (Paper I and Paper II).

Paper I (for classes I to V)

• No. of MCQs – 150
• Duration of examination: one-and-a-half hours
• Structure and Content (All Compulsory)

While designing and preparing the questions for Paper I, the examining body shall take the following factors into consideration:

• The test items on Child Development and Pedagogy will focus on educational psychology of teaching and learning relevant to the age group of 6-11 years. They will focus on understanding the characteristics and needs of diverse learners, interaction with learners and the attributes and qualities of a good facilitator of learning.
• The Test items for Language I will focus on the proficiencies related to the medium of instruction, (as chosen from list of prescribed language options in the application form).
• The Language II will be from among the prescribed options other than Language I. A candidate may choose any one language from the available language options and will be required to specify the same in the application form. The test items in Language II will also focus on the elements of language, communication and comprehension abilities.
• The test items in Mathematics and Environmental Studies will focus on the concepts, problem solving abilities and pedagogical understanding of the subjects. In all these subject areas, the test items shall be evenly distributed over different divisions of the syllabus of that subject prescribed for classes I–V by the appropriate Government.
• The questions in the tests for Paper I will be based on the topics of the prescribed syllabus of the State for classes I–V, but their difficulty standard, as well as linkages, could be upto the secondary stage.

• No. of MCQs – 150
• Duration of examination: Two-and-a-half hours
• Structure and Content

While designing and preparing the questions for Paper II, the examining body shall take the following factors into consideration:

• The test items on Child Development and Pedagogy will focus on educational psychology of teaching and learning, relevant to the age group 11-14 years. They will focus on understanding the characteristics, needs and psychology of diverse learners, interaction with learners and the attributes and qualities of a good facilitator of learning.
• The test items for Language I will focus on the proficiency related to the medium of instruction, as chosen from list of prescribed options in the application form.
• The Language II will be a language other than Language I. The person may choose any one language from among the available options and as in the specified list in the application form and attempt questions in the one indicated by the candidate in the application form by him. The Test items in Language II will also focus on the elements of language, communication and comprehension abilities.
• The test items in Mathematics and Science, and Social Studies will focus on the concepts, problem solving abilities and pedagogical understanding of these subjects. The test items of Mathematics and Science will be of 30 marks each. The test items shall be evenly distributed over different divisions of the syllabus of that subject as prescribed for classes VI-VIII by the appropriate government.
• The questions in the tests for Paper II will be based on the topics of the prescribed syllabus of the State for classes VI-VIII but their difficulty standard as well as linkages could be upto the senior secondary stage.

The question paper shall be bilingual:

1. in language(s) as decided by the appropriate Government; and
2. English language

Qualifying marks

A person who scores 60% or more in the TET exam will be considered as TET pass.

School managements (Government, local bodies, government aided and unaided) : -

• May consider giving concessions to persons belonging to SC/ST, OBC, differently abled persons, etc., in accordance with their extant reservation policy.
• Should give weightage to the TET scores in the recruitment process; however, qualifying the TET would not confer a right on any person for recruitment/employment as it is only one of the eligibility criteria for appointment.

Applicability

• TET conducted by the Central Government shall apply to all schools referred to in sub-clause (i) of clause (a) of section 2 of the RTE Act.
• TET conducted by a State Government/UT with legislature shall apply to :

• A school of the State Government/UT with legislature and  local authority referred to in sub-clause (i) of clause (n) of section 2 of the RTE Act; and
• A school referred to in sub-clause (ii) of clause (n) of section 2 of the RTE Act in that State/UT.
• A school at above mentioned points may also consider eligibility of a candidate who has obtained TET Certificate awarded by another State/UT with legislature. In case a State Government/UT with legislature decides not to conduct a TET, a school at (i) and (ii) in that State/UT would consider the TET conducted by the Central Government.

• A school referred to in sub-clause (iv) of clause (n) of section 2 of the RTE Act may exercise the option of considering either the TET conducted by the Central Government or the TET conducted by the State Government/UT with legislature

Frequency of conduct of TET and validity period of TET certificate

The appropriate Government should conduct a TET at least once every year. The Validity Period of TET qualifying certificate for appointment, unless otherwise notified by the appropriate Government, would remain valid for life.

But there will be no restriction on the number of attempts a person can take for acquiring a TET Certificate. A person who has qualified TET may also appear again for improving his/her score.

Procedure for conduct of the Test

The examining body shall formulate a detailed procedure and lay down instructions for conduct of the TET. Candidates should be informed that a very serious view will be taken of any malpractice or impersonation.

Legal Disputes

All legal disputes with regard to conduct of TET shall be subject to the jurisdiction of the appropriate Government.

Award of TET Certificate

The appropriate Government conducting the Test shall award a TET Certificate to all successful candidates. The certificate should contain the name and address of the candidate, date of birth, Registration No. year/month of award of Certificate, marks obtained in each Paper, class level of its validity (Class I to V, class VI to VIII or both), and, in case of classes VI to VIII, the subject area (Science and Mathematics, Social Studies, etc.). The certificate may be electronically generated with adequate security features. Appropriate may consider utilizing the services of specialized agencies for issuing de-materialized (demat) TET certificates as a security feature to avoid any kind of malpractice.

Monitoring

Following measures would be taken for monitoring the quality and administration of the TET:

1. The appropriate Government shall appoint a Nodal Officer for the purpose of TET.
2. The NCTE would organize meetings of the Nodal Officers at least once every year.
3. Every appropriate Government will forward a report of each TET to the NCTE in a format to be prescribed by the NCTE.
4. The NCTE shall maintain data base and be the repository of experts and resources, including the technological tools for conduct of the TET, and shall share it with the appropriate Government.

To access the complete scheme guidelines, click here

Source: National Council for Teacher Education

Related Resources

1. Minimum Qualifications of teachers