Education Minister Sakina Itoo’s concern for teachers is understandable, but her foremost responsibility is to the students and to ensuring that government schools in J&K deliver quality education at par with the rest of the country. That responsibility should not be overshadowed by political or administrative sympathy for unreasonable demand raised by the teaching community.
Commotion surrounding the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) and manufactured resistance to its implementation raises a simple but uncomfortable question: what exactly is there to fear in an examination designed to assess and upgrade teachers’ professional competence? For years teachers prepare students to face examinations throughout their careers. They teach them that knowledge must be tested, shortcomings corrected and skills continuously upgraded. Then, why should teachers themselves seek exemption from the same principle?
In contrast to the narrative peddled by a section of politicians, TET is not at all about either dishonour to teachers or disrespecting their experience. Years in the classroom matter. But experience cannot become a substitute for professional updating, particularly when the ultimate concern is the quality of education being delivered to children. If TET is a basic benchmark for teaching competence, clearing it should be viewed not as a punishment but as a professional responsibility and an opportunity to stay relevant in the fast changing academic environment.
The Education Minister should therefore keep the larger picture in focus: teachers have rights, but students have a right to quality education too. Those who prepare children to face examinations should have no reason to fear facing one themselves.