TET-qualified candidates protest in Agartala, demand jobs for 1,856 aspirants

The long-pending recruitment of Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) qualified candidates in Tripura came under fresh scrutiny after 2024 TET-I and TET-II qualifiers staged a protest at Shiksha Bhavan in Agartala on Thursday, demanding immediate recruitment of 1,856 eligible candidates. The demonstration escalated when police used a water cannon to disperse the protesters and detained several of them.

The candidates were seeking the release of the recommended candidates’ list and completion of recruitment for government-designated Graduate Teacher (GT) and Under Graduate Teacher (UT) posts. According to the protesters, they cleared the 2024 TET examinations, subsequently applied for recruitment and completed document verification, but have been waiting for the recruitment process to move forward.

The protesters said they have repeatedly approached the Joint Recruitment Board of Tripura (JRBT) and other authorities for clarity on the recruitment process. They also claimed that attempts to meet Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha and Finance Minister Pranajit Singha Roy to discuss the issue had not resulted in a meeting.

The immediate flashpoint came when the candidates gathered at Shiksha Bhavan and sought answers from the recruitment authorities. As the protest intensified, police intervened and deployed a water cannon. Reports from multiple local outlets said a large number of protesters were detained and taken to the AD Nagar Police Lines. Times of India reported that around 100 protesters were taken into custody.

The candidates have maintained that all 1,856 TET-qualified aspirants should be recruited together and that there should be no fresh selection or exclusion at this stage. They argue that they have already cleared the eligibility examinations and gone through the subsequent recruitment-related process.

Why the TET recruitment has been delayed

The recruitment dispute is not limited to the protesters' demand for appointments. A key issue cited by the Teachers' Recruitment Board, Tripura (TRBT) is the pendency of court cases connected with the TET examination.

TRBT chairman Pratyush Ranjan Deb reportedly said that several matters relating to the examination are pending before the Tripura High Court and that the Board cannot finalise the merit list until the legal issues are resolved. One issue concerns an examination question for which the court directed an additional mark to be awarded to nine candidates. The chairman said applying the same benefit to other candidates who gave the same answer could affect the merit position and create further legal complications.

This has created a gap between the candidates' demand for immediate recruitment and the recruitment board's position on the legal status of the merit-list process.

The candidates, however, have questioned why the recruitment process remains unresolved despite the passage of time. They say the delay has created financial difficulties for aspirants and their families, with many remaining without regular employment while waiting for appointments.

CM Manik Saha had earlier asked candidates to avoid agitation

The latest protest follows an appeal made by Chief Minister Manik Saha on September 17, when he urged TET-qualified candidates to stay away from agitation and said the government was examining the recruitment issue.

According to reports published after Thursday's developments, Saha had indicated that steps would be taken to initiate recruitment of eligible candidates at the earliest, while the TRBT chairman subsequently pointed to the pending court proceedings as a procedural hurdle.

The contrasting positions have added to uncertainty over when the recruitment process can actually move to the publication of a final recommendation or merit list.

Protesters threaten further agitation

The TET-qualified candidates have warned that they could intensify their protest if the government and recruitment authorities do not address their demands. Proposed forms of further agitation include a larger sit-in and a hunger strike.

The issue has also drawn political reaction. Opposition leader Jitendra Chowdhury criticised the police action and raised questions about the handling of education and employment-related grievances in the state following the use of water cannons against the protesting job aspirants. His remarks came after Thursday's confrontation at Shiksha Bhavan.

For now, the central question remains the same: when and under what legal and procedural framework will Tripura complete the recruitment process involving the 1,856 candidates who cleared TET-I and TET-II in 2024?

The protesters are demanding appointments without further delay, while the recruitment board has cited pending court matters and questions surrounding the examination's merit list. Until those issues are resolved, the recruitment of the TET-qualified candidates remains uncertain.