OTET : Poor show by teaching aspirants in eligibility test
Teacher Eligibility Test News : -BHUBANESWAR: The Odisha Teacher Eligibility Test (OTET) results, which were declared here on Wednesday, once again brought to the fore the quality of teachers at the school level.
Only 18% candidates cleared paper-1 meant for primary school, while 22% candidates cleared paper-2 for upper primary schools.
The OTET was introduced by the state in 2012 to improve the quality of teaching in schools. OTET certification is mandatory to become a teacher for classes I to VIII in any government school.
School and mass education minister Rabi Narayan Nanda, however, is happy with the result and said, "We are in a much better condition than other states. Poor result in teachers' eligibility tests has been a pan-Indian phenomenon. Even at the central level, the pass percentage is very low. But we are trying to improve the standard of teachers by improving the quality of teachers' training in Odisha."
Candidates, who have passed diploma in education and dont their BEd are eligible to take the test. Clearing paper-1 is mandatory for those wishing to teach in classes I to V, while paper-2 is for those wishing to teach classes VI to VIII. Aspirants, who wish to get certified for classes I to VIII need to clear both papers. About 88,000 candidates appeared for the test across 216 centres in the state this year. Last year, the success rate in papers 1 2 was 9% and 12% respectively.
Educationist Abani Baral said, "There is nothing to get astonished (by the results). Over the years, the standard of education has gone down in all spheres, which is why one sees such poor results. This is a good step, but it will further aggravate the teacher shortage problem."
Indu Bhusan Mohanty, the president of Orissa Senior Secondary Teachers' Association, said, "The curriculum should be upgraded regularly with more focus on changing trends of pedagogy."
Sabhaar : Times of India (4.7.13)
Orissa Senior Secondary Teachers Association|Odisha Teacher
