Union Minister for Human Resource Development Prakash Javadekar said on Tuesday that he has directed the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to hold the Central Teacher Eligibility Examination (CTET) in all 20 languages in which it is now being held.
News reports had said the examination would henceforth be held only in English, Hindi and Sanskrit, and not regional languages, something that was likely to put candidates from Tamil Nadu and many other States in a position of disadvantage.
“I have already directed @cbseindia29 to conduct examination in all the 20 languages as was being done earlier,” Mr. Javadekar tweeted. “#CTET examination will be held in English, Hindi, Assamese, Bangla, Garo, Gujarati, Kannada, Khasi, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Mizo, Nepali, Oriya, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu,Tibetan & Urdu.”
Earlier, the Minister was asked about this during a press conference held to highlight “achievements” of the HRD Ministry in the last four years. “It was decided by the CBSE, to follow the court orders to complete the exam in time, that they would reduce some language options,” Mr. Javadekar said. “But I have directed them to conduct it in all 20 languages.”
The CBSE conducts the CTET as a requirement for appointment of teachers in Kendriya Vidyalayas and also private schools affiliated to the it.
