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High turnout in Punjab State Teacher Eligibility Test in Ludhiana
Despite teacher protests, Ludhiana district saw over 87% attendance for the Punjab State Teacher Eligibility Test, with some schools boycotting.
Attendance in district crosses 87% as some teachers boycott exam
The Punjab State Teacher Eligibility Test (PSTET) was conducted on Sunday amid protests and boycott calls by several teacher unions, but the examination recorded a strong turnout in Ludhiana district.
The district administration had set up 23 examination centres for PSTET-II and 19 centres for PSTET-I. The test was held in two sessions during the day.
The morning session for Paper-II recorded an attendance of 87.15%, while the afternoon session for Paper-I witnessed 88.67% attendance. The highest turnout for Paper-II was recorded at PM SHRI Government Senior Secondary School, Haibowal Khurd, with 90.28% attendance. For Paper-I, the highest attendance of 91.11% was reported at Government Senior Secondary School, Gill G.
The examination was conducted in the backdrop of protests by teachers across Punjab. Last week, several teachers gathered in Chandigarh to oppose the eligibility test requirement, arguing that teachers with decades of experience should not be asked to prove their eligibility again.
In Ludhiana district, a few schools also joined the protest by boycotting the examination. Teachers at Government Primary Schools in Lohara and Jawahar Nagar decided not to appear for the test as part of the agitation.
Rupinder Singh Gill, joint secretary of the Democratic Teachers Front (DTF), said the union has been opposing the Supreme Court’s decision on the issue and has urged the state government to file a writ petition. “Teachers who have been serving for more than 25 years should not be forced to re-establish their eligibility through another test,” he said, adding that several union members chose to boycott the examination.
