CET may be must for teachers to get hired in Mumbai

In a bid to curb corruption and unfair practices in private-aided schools, Maharashtra state has proposed Common Entrance Test (CET) for the appointment of teachers.

During a meeting with chief minister Prithviraj Chavan on Saturday, state school education minister Rajendra Darda put forward the proposal. If cleared, the decision will help improve the quality of the teaching and justify the talent in the teaching sector, the department claimed.

“There are nearly 30,000 aided private schools with more than 5 lakh teachers. But, there have been complaints of monetary consideration for appointments and exploitation in salaries. Some institutes do not even pay minimum wages but make the teachers sign on documents that they give them a bigger paycheck. The compulsion of CET would curb such unfair practices,” said an official from the department.

However, the department is apprehensive about political resistance as most private schools are owned by the institutes controlled by politicians. Chavan has directed the department to bring the policy decision related issues before the cabinet.