Madhya Pradesh Teachers Protest Mandatory TET In Bhopal, Demand Old Pension Scheme Restoration

Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh: Educators from across the state convened at Ambedkar Park on Sunday to voice their discontent over the mandatory Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) and to call for the restoration of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS). Bharat Bhargava, a representative of Adhyapak Sangharsh Samiti, criticized the mandate as an affront to educators.

He highlighted that teachers hired post-1998 were chosen based on their DEd and BEd degrees. Bhargava questioned the fairness of subjecting teachers, now nearing retirement age, to such examinations. The government has deprived teachers of 10 years of the 6th Pay Scale and 2.5 years of the 7th Pay Scale, erasing a significant portion of their service records, he asserted.

Bhargava emphasized that despite serving for 28 years since 1998, the official portals only reflect eight years of service. The protesting educators also demanded the reintroduction of the Old Pension Scheme, expressing outrage at the government's disparate treatment of retirement benefits. MPs and MLAs enjoy lifelong pensions, salaries, and allowances, yet teachers have never contested these perks.

Bhargava sought answers for this discrepancy. Sitaram Raikwar, a teacher from Raisen, marked his dissent with a symbolic act of penance, releasing smoke from a cowdung cake.