Editor,
The recent demand by final semester BEd students seeking provisional permission to appear in the TGT examination deserves a deeper and more balanced scrutiny.
At a surface level, their argument appears reasonable; after all, they are on the verge of completing their qualification. However, this recruitment cannot be treated as a routine or fresh cycle. It is, in fact, a long-delayed continuation of the 2021 advertisement, which has already tested the patience and resilience of its original applicants.
For those candidates, this is not just another exam; it represents years of waiting, uncertainty, and silent struggle. Due to repeated postponements caused by administrative lapses such as paper leaks and technical failures, many aspirants have lost valuable time, crossed age limits, and missed other career opportunities. What was once a fair and limited competition has, over time, turned into an overcrowded and uncertain battlefield.
In this prolonged gap, thousands of new candidates have naturally become eligible and entered the aspirant pool. The competition has already intensified far beyond what was originally intended. Yet, the number of posts has remained unchanged. No additional vacancies have been introduced to accommodate this growing pool. This imbalance alone has significantly reduced the chances of those who have been waiting since 2021.
Under such circumstances, allowing final semester candidates to enter at this stage would further stretch an already strained system. It would not be an act of inclusion, but one of inadvertent exclusion, pushing the original aspirants further to the margins after years of endurance.
It is also important to recognise that final year students are not being denied opportunities altogether. They stand at the beginning of their careers and will have multiple chances to compete in future recruitments. In contrast, for many long-waiting aspirants, this examination could very well be their final opportunity.
Another crucial aspect that cannot be ignored is the question of maintaining standards in the teaching profession. If the aim is to improve the quality of education, then making eligibility qualifications like APTET or CTET mandatory should be seriously considered. Introducing such criteria would ensure that the recruitment is not only fair but also aligned with national standards of teacher competency.
This issue is not merely administrative; it carries an emotional weight. Behind every application number is a story of persistence, sacrifice, and hope. Changing eligibility norms at this stage risks sending a disheartening message to those who have already endured systemic delays without complaint.
Therefore, the need of the hour is not to expand eligibility indiscriminately, but to restore fairness. The commission must prioritise completing this long-pending recruitment process in a just, transparent, and time-bound manner, ensuring that those who have waited the longest are not left behind.
TGT aspirants