40 years upper age limit for teacher jobs in Tamil Nadu

CHENNAI: The school education department has reduced the upper age limit for direct recruitment of teachers from 57 years to 40 years for open category and from 57 years to 45 years for reserved categories. As per the January notification by then school education secretary Pradeep Yadav, this is applicable to recruitment of secondary grade, graduate and postgraduate teachers.
Officials said the change was effected as teachers are being recruited only based on Teachers Recruitment Boardconducted tests.
Some officials said the new age limit would bring to schools more young teachers who will stay motivated. But, teachers are not happy. Tamil Nadu Teachers Association president P K Ilamaran said lakhs of teachers including TET (Teacher Eligibility Test) qualified candidates would be affected. “Every year 40,000 students come out of BEd colleges, while the government recruits only 1,000-2000, that too not frequently. The government should reconsider its move,” he said.
Asserting that there should be no age limit, Tamil Nadu Graduate Teachers Federation general secretary P Patric Raymond said, “The government should cancel the order.”