NET exemption: education minister assures college teachers of HRD nod

As many as 1269 college teachers of the University of Pune may finally be exempted from taking the national and state eligibility tests (NET/SET) with the state education minister Rajesh Tope assuring a delegation of college teachers that the Union Ministry of Human Resources and Development had decided to accept their plea.

As many as 1269 college teachers of the University of Pune (UoP) may finally be exempted from taking the national and state eligibility tests (NET/SET) with the state education minister Rajesh Tope assuring a delegation of college teachers that the Union Ministry of Human Resources and Development had decided to accept their plea.

The University Grants Commission (UGC) in February this year had exempted 1269 college teachers teaching in various colleges affiliated to the University of Pune from taking the NET/SET examinations that has been made mandatory for college teachers. The UGC had arrived at the decision after studying around 1300 such proposals of teachers from UoP case by case. Teachers had pleaded that they had been confirmed in service before the criteria was set.

However,the HRD ministry had cancelled the decision of the UGC in March this year. A delegation of college teachers led by BJP MLA Sudhir Mungantiwar including college teachers from Pune,Nagpur and Mumbai had then met Tope in this regard.

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Tope informed us that the HRD minister Kapil Sibal has sent a letter to the UGC to reinstate the decision of exempting teachers from NET/SET, said A P Kulkarni,member of Pune University and College Teachers Organisation who was a part of the delegation. Kulkarni said that the minister told the delegation that Sibal had already sent a letter in this regard to the UGC. We,however,are yet to receive the copy of that letter. Tope has assured us to provide the letter and talk to the minister if needed, he said. Meanwhile,Maharashtra Federation of University and College Teachers Organisation (MFUCTO) has moved the Bombay High Court against the HRDs move to cancel the exemption of around 4000 college teachers in the state including 1269 of University of Pune.

We have filed a petition in this regard last week. Our delegation also met Sibal and he has assured to meet again on the issue, said Shyam Lavande,member of executive council of MFUCTO.

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