Patna, Nov. 12: The Centre has in an affidavit filed in Patna High Court extended support to the state government’s decision to allow untrained persons appear in Bihar Elementary Teacher Eligibility Test (BETET).

The Union government has, however, made it clear that the relaxation in the minimum qualifications, as laid down by National Council for Technical Education (NCTE) to become a teacher, was given to the state government following the latter’s request to New Delhi to consider the case as a special one and that too with certain conditions.

The Centre filed its affidavit in response to a petition filed by Nuzhat Iqbal and others, who are trained in imparting education, seeking direction to the government not to conduct the Teacher Eligibility Test.

The state government is conducting BETET for the recruitment of about three lakh teachers in the next three years in government schools.

The state had on March 1, 2011 submitted a proposal to the central government, saying: “Bihar does not have adequate institutions that offer courses or training in teacher education or teachers (from classes I to VIII) possessing minimum qualification as laid down by NCTE.”

The Centre’s affidavit was filed through its standing counsel, S.N. Pathak.

According to NCTE rules, a person must have DEd or BEd to appear in TET, the affidavit said adding that an untrained person can’t be eligible for the exam.