Qualifying mark in Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) for candidates belonging to Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes, Backward Classes, Most Backward Classes/Denotified Communities, Backward Classes – Muslim and the differently abled would be lowered by five marks, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa announced in the Assembly on Monday.
At present, as per the stipulation of the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE), the qualifying mark was 60 per cent. Hereafter, this would be 55 per cent. “This concession is applicable for the TET conducted by the Teacher Recruitment Board in August 2013,” she told, amid thumping of desks by members of the House.
Concluding a debate on the motion of thanks to Governor for his address, the Chief Minister referred to appeals of several members and said that though the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) had fixed the qualifying mark, it had stated that States, according to their reservation policy, could consider relaxing the qualifying mark.
She clarified that the principle of reservation was not followed for the TET but only at the time of recruitment of teachers. Explaining earlier how concessions were also being given to different categories of teachers in marks for the basic degree courses, the Chief Minister pointed out that “in recruitment of teachers, 69 per cent reservation is being implemented fully.”
Responding to the request of S. Gunasekaran (CPI) for stipend to be given to all nursing students, Ms. Jayalalithaa announced that even though a scholarship scheme, benefiting all nursing students in the government-run institutions, was being implemented for many years, the number of beneficiary-students had not been increased in tune with intake of students that had gone up over the years. At present, in all 23 government-run nursing institutions, 2,000 students were admitted every year. From the next academic year, all students would be given the stipend, a move which would cost Rs. 3.41 crore additionally to the exchequer.
Recalling other requests of Mr. Gunasekaran, the Chief Minister said a sum of Rs. 25 crore would be set apart for the Sivaganga municipality in connection with the golden jubilee celebration of the local body, commencing in April this year. A financial assistance of Rs. 1 lakh each would be given to the families of five students who drowned in a pond in Virudhunagar in November last.
Responding to the request of J.G. Prince (Congress), Ms. Jayalalithaa said the Kanyakumari district would have a local holiday on the occasion of the festival of ‘Sivarathri.’ Another plea made by the Congress legislator for a solatium of Rs. 1 lakh to the family of a girl of the seventh standard who died on January 23 after falling from a bus, which was meant for the sector of Marthandam-Pathamadai in the district.
