President of Maharashtra unit of Samajwadi Party and Mumbai MLA Abu Azmi during the Maharashtra Legislature winter session 2016 raised the issue of Hindi not being a language in the Teachers Eligibility Test (TET) papers. He also blamed BJP and Shiv Sena for spreading communalism concerning the appointment of teachers by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

Speaking to the media, Azmi said, For recruiting teachers, there is an eligibility test called the TET (Teachers Eligibility Test). If one does not pass the test, the person cannot work as a teacher. The TET papers are in English, Urdu and Marathi and not in Hindi. In India, where Hindi is considered as the language of the nation, the TET paper is not in Hindi because of which 98% teachers fail the exam. I have requested in the house today, that the TET paper should also be printed in Hindi in Maharashtra so that teachers can attempt the paper in Hindi.

Azmi also lashed out at BJP and Shiv Sena for discriminating between Urdu and Marathi and Hindi teachers in Mumbai. Azmi said, Under the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), in 2013, 428 teachers were recruited. Till 2016, only 160 teachers were given jobs. After we struggled and pushed the issue, 328 teachers were given jobs but afterwards appointment of 100 teachers who were recruited was cancelled. Yesterday, a BJP leader in the corporation claimed that there is a scam in the recruitment of Urdu teachers. Now, the Urdu teachers were recruited the same time Marathi and Hindi teachers were recruited. The same people who recruited Urdu teachers recruited Marathi and Hindi teachers. So when there’s no scam in the recruitment of Marathi and Hindi teachers, why does the BJP and Shiv Sena sees a scam in the recruitment of Urdu teachers This is communalism. All the language teachers came to Mumbai, passed the medical test, two commissioners signed the papers but still an enquiry has been launched into the recruitment of Urdu teachers. This is injustice! I have demanded that these teachers should be reappointed. And if there’s really a need for an enquiry, there should be an enquiry in the recruitment of all teachers and if there’s something wrong, action should be taken against all of them.

Video shot and edited by: Himanshu Pal

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