Appointment of TET qualifiers with grace marks put on hold

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: In view of the order passed recently by the Gauhati High Court, the State's Secondary Education Department has announced that appointment orders will not be issued for the time being to candidates who passed the TET with grace marks.

It may be mentioned that a Bench of the Gauhati Court had disposed of four sets of writ petitions regarding grace marks in TET (Teachers Eligibility Test) on May 18.

The Bench had said, "…Where the challenge has been made against the grant of grace marks and prayer has been made for giving them preference over persons who were given grace marks, are all allowed. The award of grace to the extent of five marks in either Part-I or Part-II to candidates who had qualified in either of the two parts but failed in one, is held to be illegal. The respondent authorities would do the needful to recall such grace marks within a period of two months from the service of a certified copy of this order.

"Considered the situation arising out of the communication by the Director, Secondary Education, Assam vide memo dated 07.05.2022. In this regard, the Court is of the considered opinion that if the said authority, i.e. the Director of Secondary Education, Assam is proposing to comply with the judgment and order of this Court and re-visit the marks of candidates to ascertain whether they have scored 60%/55% in the aggregate, as indicated in this judgment, for which two months' time has been granted for doing the needful. Hence, the Court is of the considered opinion that the Director of Secondary Education, Assam may go ahead with the process of verification. However, no final appointment would be made without undertaking the exercise as indicated in the reliefs granted in this writ petition so as to prevent any uncertainty to prevail while carrying out such exercise. Therefore, even if any order of appointment has been issued, the same would be subject to the exercise to be done by the Director, Secondary Education, Assam."

As part of the process of recruitment of teachers to high schools, the Education Department conducted the Secondary TET and announced the results on March 4, 2020. A total of 7,417 candidates had passed the examination on merit. However, the Education Department subsequently re-scrutinized the results awarded 5 grace marks each to many candidates and declared another 4,615 candidates as successful in clearing the examination. This brought the total number of successful candidates to 11,322.

However, still later 1 extra grace mark was awarded to certain candidates over discrepancy in answer key, resulting in an additional 710 candidates passing the examination and bringing the total number of successful candidates to 12,032.

Then the Education Department started the process of recruitment of 5,746 graduate teachers for high schools. It was at this stage that many candidates - including both those who had passed on merit and those who had passed via grace marks - filed separate petitions in the Gauhati High Court, seeking either preference in appointment for those who passed on merit, or seeking equal consideration for all TET qualifiers.

The high Court had passed an interim order on February 4, 2021 whereby it allowed conditional appointment of teachers in view of the urgent need for graduate teachers in high schools of the State. However, the court had put a rider that such appointments would be subject to the final outcome of the petitions and if the judgment went against those who passed with grace marks would have to removed from their jobs if appointment.

It may be recalled that 2,221 TET qualified high school teachers were given appointment letters on May 14, while 1,381candidates who obtained grace marks were put on the 'withheld' category.

The High Court's latest order came after this development.

Also Read:  Gauhati High Court decides grace-mark issue of TET (Teachers Eligibility Test)

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