Agartala: Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Wednesday voiced deep concern over the drastically low pass percentages in this year’s Teacher Eligibility Tests (TET), raising serious questions about the state’s teacher recruitment process.
As per the results declared on Tuesday, only 458 out of 8,240 candidates (5.56%) cleared TET-I, while 1,589 out of 32,286 candidates (4.92%) passed TET-II. These figures have triggered anxiety among job seekers and alarmed education officials.
TET-I certifies candidates to teach classes I to V, whereas TET-II qualifies them to teach classes VI to VIII.
“The low pass rates in both TET-I and TET-II are worrying,” said Chief Minister Saha while speaking to the media.
He added that the state’s teachers’ recruitment board has been instructed to investigate the causes of the poor performance.“If we fail to appoint capable teachers, how can we expect to deliver quality education in our government schools? We are committed to identifying and resolving these issues,” he stated.
Amid protests from TET candidates over alleged errors in the answer keys, Saha, who also serves as the state’s Education Minister, mentioned that he had consulted the board regarding the concerns.
“The board has clarified that the answer keys are accurate and free from irregularities. However, candidates who still have objections are free to seek legal recourse,” he said.
Earlier in the day, the Chief Minister attended a felicitation event honoring 82 outstanding students from Tripura Board of Secondary Education (TBSE)-affiliated and Vidyajyoti schools who achieved high marks in their Madhyamik and Higher Secondary exams.
During his address, Saha emphasized the importance of delivering quality education and reiterated his government’s commitment to improving academic standards across the state.