Chennai, February 26 – In a significant move aimed at promoting inclusivity in the education sector, the Tamil Nadu government has reduced the minimum qualifying marks for Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) in the Tamil Nadu Teacher Eligibility Test (TNTET) papers I and II from 50 per cent to 40 per cent.
With this revision, PwD candidates will now be on par with applicants from Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Caste Arunthathiyars (SCA), and Scheduled Tribes (ST), who are also required to secure 40 per cent (60 out of 150 marks) to qualify in the eligibility test.
The decision was formalized through a Government Order (GO) issued recently. According to the order, this move follows a recommendation from the Commissionerate for the Welfare of the Differently Abled.
The Commissionerate had highlighted that several other states – including Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Odisha – already extend similar relaxations to PwD candidates in their respective Teacher Eligibility Tests.
Officials said the revision is also in line with guidelines issued by the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE), which emphasize equitable access and reasonable accommodation for candidates with disabilities in teacher recruitment examinations across the country.
The Tamil Nadu Teacher Eligibility Test, conducted to determine eligibility for appointment as teachers in Classes I to 8, comprises two papers: Paper I for Classes I to 5 and Paper 2 for Classes 6 to 8.
Candidates are required to secure the prescribed minimum marks to qualify, though final appointments are subject to further recruitment procedures. The latest relaxation comes just a month after the state government revised the qualifying marks for candidates from various backward and marginalized communities.
Under the current framework, candidates belonging to Backward Classes (BC), Backward Class Muslims (BCM), Most Backward Classes (MBC), and Denotified Communities (DNC) are required to secure 50 per cent (75 out of 150 marks) to qualify. By lowering the cut-off for PwDs, the government has sought to ensure parity and expand opportunities for differently-abled aspirants seeking to enter the teaching profession.
The move is likely to benefit a substantial number of candidates preparing for upcoming TNTET examinations and strengthen inclusive representation within Tamil Nadu’s school education system.