The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Monday ordered notice to the State on a petition that challenged the minimum eligibility of 45% to appear for the 2019 Tamil Nadu Teachers Eligibility Test (TNTET).
Justice G. R. Swaminathan ordered notice to the Teachers’ Recruitment Board and adjourned the hearing till April 4. The writ petition filed by M. Devi of Pudukottai district said that the minimum eligibility of 45% for this year’s examination was inhibiting people, particularly the backward classes, from taking up the examination.
The petitioner said that the eligibility criterion to take up the degree of Bachelor of Education as per Tamil Nadu Teachers’ Education University was 50% for the General category, 45% for Backward Classes, 43% for Most Backward Classes and 40% for the SC/ST. This eligibility criterion had been used to take up jobs as teachers.
However, the eligibility to take up TNTET 2019 was raised to 45% from last year’s 40%. This denied the chance of those from the Backward Classes who had scored more than 40% but less than 45% in their graduation to take up the examination.
The petitioner complained that she was affected by this increase in percentage for eligibility and sought a direction to quash the TNTET notification.
