The results of the first ever Karnataka Teacher Eligibility Test (KarTET) for primary school teacher aspirants were announced on Wednesday. It was nothing short of shocking as a mere 5.93 per cent of aspiring teachers qualified in the exam.
Only 22,899 out of over 3.86 lakh candidates, who appeared for the examination, are eligible to be employed in government, aided and private schools.
The test was conducted in June with the aim of ushering in “national standards and benchmark teacher quality in recruitment”, in accordance with the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act and a National Council for Teacher Education notification.
The test was mired in controversy as it was postponed several times. In addition, the question paper was leaked on the eve of the exam. Central Crime Branch officers had arrested a retired teacher, along with 10 others, in this connection.
The break up for paper 1 (to teach classes I to V) and paper 2 (to teach classes VI to VIII) is even more shocking ( see infograph ).
While general candidates are expected to score a minimum of 60 per cent to obtain KarTET certificate, reserved category candidates have to obtain a minimum of 55 per cent. The Department of Public Instruction will issue certificates that will be valid for seven years.
Speaking about the performance of the candidates, Commissioner for Public Instruction Mohammad Mohsin said that performance of Karnataka is better than other States. “Scores of B.Ed colleges are mushrooming in the State but not all are of good quality. This is reflected in the results,” he said. He also said that less number of people qualifying for the exams could be attributed to the lack of awareness of how to prepare for the exam.
