Will Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) be mandatory for recruitment of teachers in UP madrassas? Will there be any exceptions?

The Uttar Pradesh government will make the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) mandatory for the recruitment of teachers in madrassas of the state to provide quality education to students, as stated in a report by PTI.

A proposal is being prepared for implementing it, Minister of State for Minority Welfare, Danish Azad Ansari told PTI on Sunday, July 31.

He noted that the NCERT (National Council of Educational Research and Training) syllabus has been implemented to provide quality education to students in madrasas of the state.

"Since it is a scientifically designed course, it is imperative to have trained teachers to teach it better. In view of this, the government is going to make it mandatory to clear the TET for recruitment of teachers in madrasas," he said as stated in a report by PTI.

Ansari, however, clarified that the requirement of TET will not apply to teachers of Urdu, Arabic, Farsi or Diniyat.

It will be applicable only for the recruitment of teachers teaching the NCERT syllabus.

Asked whether the management committees have the right to recruit teachers in madrassas and whether the government will make any changes in the law to make TET mandatory in recruitment, Ansari said, "No, nothing like that will happen. All we are going to do is to make TET mandatory in the recruitment of teachers of modern education in madrassas."

In 2017, the Uttar Pradesh government had approved teaching from NCERT books in Tathaniya (Classes I to V), Faukania (Classes V to VIII) and madarsas of Aaliya or higher Aaliya level (high school and above).

Hakim Abdul Haque, Joint General Secretary of the Teachers Association Madaris Arabiya, said the step would lead to discrimination against a section of madrasa teachers.

"By making TET mandatory for teachers imparting modern education, there will be a practical difference of merit between teachers teaching in the same madrasa, as the educational qualification of teachers who are recruited after passing TET is more than that of those teaching Diniyat, Urdu, Arabic and Persian," he said, as stated in a report by PTI.

"After the new system there will be a trained teacher who will clear the recruitment examination (TET). Will the government keep both teachers in the same category? This will increase the risk of discrimination just like between permanent teachers and siksha mitra (adhoc teachers) in primary schools," he said.

Haque demanded that special TET courses for madrassa teachers teaching diniyat, Urdu, Arabic and Persian should also be started.

According to the procedure currently applicable for the recruitment of teachers in madrasas, the minimum qualification for a teacher teaching Classes I to V should be intermediate with Urdu or any equivalent certificate.

Apart from this, the minimum qualification for teachers to teach in Classes V to VIII is Kamil degree or Arabic Persian or Bachelor's degree from a university with Diniyat and Fazil or Arabic or Persian for Aliya (high school and above).

There are about 16,461 madrassas in the state affiliated to the madrasa board. Of these, 560 madrassas are aided by the government.