AIFUCTO opposes attempts to scrap NET

CHENNAI : Terming the National Eligibility Test (NET) a necessity to improve the standard of teaching in the country, the All India Federation of University and College Teachers’ Organisation (AIFUCTO) on Sunday strongly objected to attempts to abolishing the Test. Addressing reporters here, general secretary of AIFUCTO Asok Kumar Barman said the Central Government and the UGC, instead of abolishing the NET, must revisit some of its provisions that are making it flawed and unimplementable.“We have already indicated to the regulatory bodies certain issues. If these are resolved, it would make the NET efficient. But an attempt to do away with the test will only increase corruption in recruitment and lower the quality of teaching,” he said. However, he maintained that the exemption from the NET given to MPhil and PhD teachers should continue.Barman said the organisation was strongly against certain Bills waiting to be passed in Parliament, including the Foreign Universities’ Bill, which aim at commercialising higher education and weakening the public-funded system. “No good university will open shop here. It will only bring useless institutions,” he said.He said the organisation had appealed to the State government here to increase the retirement age of teachers from 58 to 65 years, given the supply-demand gap in the industry. At the same time the government should create more posts to ensure that employment opportunities for youngsters were not affected by the move.The Tamil Nadu Government College Teachers’ Association appealed that the State government immediately appoint principals to those colleges where the post remained vacant. A release requested that the vacant post of Director of Collegiate Education be filled soon and that only an educationist be considered for the position.