AP teachers' body demands subject-wise TET papers for maths, physics, biology

The Navya Andhra Teachers Association (NTA) has urged the Andhra Pradesh government to reconsider the combined examination system for the AP Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) Paper-II (A). In a statement issued on Thursday, the association's State president K. Harikrishna and general secretary M. Srinivasa Rao called for separate question papers—or at least subject-wise options—for candidates aspiring to teach mathematics, physics, and biology.

The association argued that conducting a single common examination for these three disciplines is inappropriate, given that they are distinct subjects with different educational qualifications, teaching skills, and recruitment posts. Under the current system, all candidates in the mathematics-science category are tested on the same paper, which may include questions from subjects they are not trained to teach.

The statement noted a specific discrepancy in the marks allocation. For candidates appearing in Telugu, Hindi, English, and social studies, 60 marks are allocated exclusively to their respective subject. However, in the mathematics-science category, the same 60 marks are divided among the three subjects. As a result, candidates are forced to answer questions from disciplines outside their specialisation, which could unfairly affect their overall scores.

Since TET marks carry a 20% weightage in teacher recruitment, the association stressed that a candidate's merit ranking should not be influenced by questions from unrelated subjects. We are not asking for a reduction in TET standards, the leaders clarified. The candidate's subject knowledge and teaching ability should primarily be assessed in the subject that they are qualified to teach.

The association has requested the government to constitute an expert committee, if necessary, and to implement a subject-specific TET system with separate examinations for mathematics, physics, and biology, in accordance with the rules of the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE), starting from the upcoming examinations.

The AP TET Paper-II (A) is a qualifying examination for teachers seeking positions in upper primary and secondary schools. The demand comes amid ongoing discussions about streamlining teacher recruitment processes in the state. The government has not yet issued an official response to the association's representation.