GUWAHATI: The BTR Primary TET Qualified Association has raised serious allegations against the BTR education department and the government, accusing them of flouting the guidelines laid down by the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) in the recruitment of primary teachers in the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR).
Speaking to the media, the association's president, Dauharu Narzary, disclosed that approximately 19,000 Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) qualified candidates are currently present in the BTR. The BTR education department had advertised 427 vacancies in LP schools in the BTR in 2021. However, Narzary claimed that contrary to NCTE guidelines, candidates who did not clear the TET have been appointed to these positions.
He further explained that C-TET qualified candidates contested this decision in July 2021, leading to a stay on the recruitment process by the Gauhati High Court. Despite the court's directive to conduct another TET, the department canceled the vacancy advertisement after holding the test in April 2023. However, appointments to the posts reportedly continue despite the withdrawal of the advertisement.
The association's general secretary, Alongbar Daimary, revealed findings from an RTI filed in October 2023. The RTI exposed that teachers from the 1999 batch and six-month trained TET teachers were appointed to the 427 posts. The association is urging further scrutiny into the alleged irregularities in the teacher recruitment process.
