THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The General Education Department has given time till 2018 to teachers who have been appointed in schools during the academic year 2015-16 to qualify for the Kerala Teacher Eligibility Test (KTET), the eligibility test for qualifying for the post of teachers conducted in October 2015. The order issued by R. K. Kumar, special secretary in the general education department, said that teachers who have been given exemption should pass the KTET by 2018-19 academic year.
This was because only 11.85 percent had passed the KTET last year and a majority of those appointed in aided schools were from outside KTET. KTET is conducted in three categories, Category I: For lower primary classes, Category II: For upper primary classes, Category III: For high school classes and Category IV: For language teachers. This exemption was also given to teachers appointed to schools in 2012-2013, 2013-14 and 2014-15.
Of the 20,278 candidates who sat for the test in the four categories, only 2,404 had passed the examinations in 2015. Among them only four candidates - all of them from category three - scored above 80 per cent marks, sources said. The pass percentage in category one is 4.62, 17.98 in category two, 15.46 in category three and 5.63 in category four. In 2013, the total pass percentage had stood at 6.45 and in 2014 at 10.51.
KTET is being conducted as per the guidelines set by the National Council of Teacher Education as required by the provisions of the Right to Education Act. A person who scores 6 percent or more in the KTET examination will be considered ‘KTET qualified.’ Relaxation up to five percent in the qualifying marks shall be allowed to the candidates belonging to SC/ST and Differently able categories. A relaxation of three percent in the minimum qualifying marks is admissible for OBC and OEC candidates.
