Cuttack: The Department of Mass Education has made it mandatory for all teachers appointed before 2011 in the primary education system to possess a valid OTET (Odisha Teacher Eligibility Test) certificate to be eligible for promotion. Following this directive, thousands of senior teachers have been compelled to apply for OTET.
As per available data, a total of 75,403 in-service teachers have applied for the upcoming OTET, which is scheduled to be held on July 20. Despite nearing retirement — with some having as little as six months to two years of service left — many teachers have still applied, hoping to secure promotion before retirement.
Among the applicants, around 5,000 teachers are said to be close to retirement. This situation has created a sense of concern and anxiety among primary teachers regarding the outcome of the test.
To cater specifically to in-service teachers, the Board of Secondary Education (BSE) arranged a separate OTET examination. Applications for this test were accepted between May 9 and May 22. Initially, it was expected that 15,000 to 20,000 teachers would apply. However, after the department issued a circular making OTET compulsory for promotion, there was confusion and dissatisfaction among teachers.
Following appeals and protests from various teachers’ associations, the BSE extended the application deadline by five more days, resulting in an almost fourfold increase in applicants, a department official confirmed.
Although there was opposition from teachers’ unions, the department made no changes to its directive. As a result, all teachers appointed before 2011, including mass education teachers and those teaching in aided schools, are now compelled to take OTET if they wish to be promoted.