TET, TAT Pass Candidates Protest; around 300 detained in Gandhinagar

Gandhinagar: Hundreds of aspirants who have passed the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) and Teacher Aptitude Test (TAT) were detained by Gandhinagar police on Tuesday following their protest in the city demanding the recruitment of government teachers. Congress MLA Jignesh Mevani, who participated in the protest, was also among those held by the police.

The demonstration took place outside Pathikashram in the state capital, where protesters gathered to voice their demands. Police intervened, detaining them and dispersing them to various locations across the city.

Some participants of the protest told the media that a primary demand was for the government to abolish the gyan sahayak (teaching assistant) scheme. Another protester mentioned that “there are approximately 40,000 vacancies for schoolteachers, yet the state has around 70,000 candidates who have passed the TET/TAT exams. Despite this disparity, the recruitment of teachers has been delayed for years.”

Clearing the TET is mandatory for recruitment as a teacher for Classes 1 to 8 in government and grant-in-aid schools. Similarly, passing the TAT is necessary for teaching positions for Classes 9 to 12 in these schools.

Ravi Teja Vasamsetty, Superintendent of Police for Gandhinagar district, reported that about 300 protesters were detained because they did not have permission to hold the protest. “These protesters assembled after coordinating through various WhatsApp groups,” Vasamsetty noted. “No injuries were reported despite videos showing police interacting with protesters.”

Mevani told the media, “Unemployment in the state has reached alarming levels. With vacancies available and qualified candidates ready, why is the government delaying these appointments? The candidates protested today (Tuesday), and I joined them in solidarity. Their demands are reasonable. I plan to organize a large protest of TET/TAT candidates in Ahmedabad soon.” DeshGujarat