400 teachers denied increments, adequate pay over TET rule

Mumbai: Around 400 teachers employed in schools run by the Archdiocesan Board of Education (ABE) in Mumbai are up in arms over the management’s decision to deny them increments for over five years citing lack of qualifications that were made mandatory after their appointment. The board is also treating teachers who acquire additional qualifications as freshers, disregarding their 8-12 years of service in the same organisation, they alleged, adding that such qualifications were not necessary for minority institutions.
ABE, a church-owned institution, administers nearly 150 schools across the city, all recognised by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). In 2019, the board made it mandatory for its teachers to clear the state-level teacher’s eligibility test, in keeping with a 2013 state government circular saying teachers had to clear either the Central Teachers Eligibility Test (CTET) or the Maharashtra Teachers Eligibility Test (MahaTET).
The nearly 400 teachers working in ABE-run schools were all appointed before 2019, and the management’s decision put them in a fix, more so because they were denied increments in line with the seventh pay commission, also introduced in 2019, citing lack of qualifications.
“All of us have a diploma in teacher education (DTEd), which was the requirement at the time of our appointment. The requirement of clearing MahaTET affected us badly because it is never conducted regularly,” said a teacher, requesting anonymity.
Since CTET is conducted regularly twice a year, around 25 teachers cleared the test, and urged the management to consider the same, in line with the 2013 government circular. In March 2024, ABE agreed to accept CTET qualifications but introduced a new clause – teachers who passed CTET would be issued fresh appointment letters in June 2024 without factoring in their prior experience.
“We were extremely disappointed and stressed when the new clause was introduced, more so because we have put in over a decade of service and hard work here. We also conveyed the same to the management,” said a teacher who cleared the CTET exam last year.
ABE has kept the issuance of fresh appointment letters in abeyance following objections raised by the teachers.
“The decision has put our entire careers at risk,” said another teacher who cleared TET last year. “Each passing day feels like an immovable mountain. Yet, we have retained our patience and faith in the authorities.”
Keen to find a way out of the deadlock, the teachers have urged ABE to reconsider their decision on making TET mandatory, citing court orders which say it is not so for minority schools in the state.
For instance, on June 27 this year, the Aurangabad bench of the Bombay high court ruled in favor of a teacher employed in a minority institution, saying TET was not applicable for the appointment of teachers in minority schools.
“Despite such precedents, the management has not considered our grievances,” said a teacher.
Fr Thomson Kinny, secretary, ABE told HT that a meeting was scheduled next week to discuss the matter. “We have taken note of the teachers’ demands and grievances and will take a decision that is fair to all,” he said.