Leaders of the Navya Andhra Teachers Association (NTA) on Thursday (August 13, 2026) urged the State government to reconsider the combined examination system for the AP Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) Paper-II (A) and introduce separate TET question papers, or provide separate subject-wise options, for candidates aspiring to become mathematics, physics and biology teachers.

In a statement, the association’s State president K. Harikrishna and general secretary M. Srinivasa Rao said that although mathematics, physics and biology were distinct subjects with different educational qualifications, teaching skills and recruitment posts, conducting a single common examination for candidates from all three disciplines in the TET was not appropriate.

They said that while 60 marks were allocated to the respective subject for candidates appearing in Telugu, Hindi, English and social studies, in the mathematics-science category the 60 marks were divided among three subjects. As a result, candidates were required to answer questions from subjects that were not directly related to their specialisation.

They said that since TET marks carried 20% weightage in teacher recruitment, candidates’ merit ranking should not be affected by questions from subjects outside their specialisation. “We are not asking for a reduction in TET standards. The candidate’s subject knowledge and teaching ability should primarily be assessed in the subject that they are qualified to teach,” they said.

They requested that, if necessary, an expert committee be set up and that, under the rules of the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE), a subject-specific TET system with separate examinations for mathematics, physics and biology be implemented from the coming examinations.

Published - August 14, 2026 03:43 pm IST