UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Don’t be ‘self-centred’, RTE is for benefit of children: SC says in TET review case

Q1. Under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009, the expression 'compulsory education' is best understood as which one of the following?

  • A. The obligation of the appropriate government to provide free elementary education and to ensure the admission, attendance and completion of elementary education by every child aged 6-14
  • B. The obligation of every parent or guardian to pay a subsidised fee for the elementary schooling of their child
  • C. The obligation of private unaided schools to reserve seats for children and recover the cost from the State
  • D. The obligation of the child to appear in a board examination at the end of Class VIII

Q2. The 'elementary education' guaranteed under the RTE Act, 2009 (the level covered by the Supreme Court's TET ruling) comprises how many classes?

  • A. Five classes (I to V)
  • B. Eight classes (I to VIII)
  • C. Ten classes (I to X)
  • D. Twelve classes (I to XII)

Q3. Within the RTE framework, the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) is most accurately described as which one of the following?

  • A. A mandatory qualifying test certifying the minimum eligibility a person must possess to be appointed or to continue as a teacher for Classes I-VIII
  • B. A competitive ranking examination conducted by the NCTE to draw up merit lists for teacher recruitment
  • C. A promotion examination conducted by the CBSE for teachers moving from primary to upper-primary grades
  • D. A one-time certification issued by the NCERT on completion of a pre-service teacher training course

Q4. Consider the following statements regarding the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) and the TET requirement under the RTE Act: 1. NCTE is the academic authority notified under Section 23(1) of the RTE Act to lay down the minimum qualifications for teachers. 2. Passing the TET was made one of the essential qualifications through the NCTE notification dated 23 August 2010. 3. The TET is, in every State, conducted by the NCTE itself and never by the State Government. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. NCTE is the academic authority notified under Section 23(1) of the RTE Act to lay down the minimum qualifications for teachers.
  2. Passing the TET was made one of the essential qualifications through the NCTE notification dated 23 August 2010.
  3. The TET is, in every State, conducted by the NCTE itself and never by the State Government.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q5. As per the RTE Act provisions underlying the Supreme Court's ruling on compulsory TET for in-service teachers, the Teacher Eligibility Test is actually conducted by which authority?

  • A. The appropriate Government (State/Union Territory)
  • B. The National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE)
  • C. The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT)
  • D. The Union Ministry of Education directly

Q6. A review of a Supreme Court judgment (as sought by the states and teachers in the TET case) can, in civil matters, be entertained on how many recognised grounds under Order XLVII?

  • A. Two grounds
  • B. Three grounds
  • C. Four grounds
  • D. Five grounds

Q7. In dismissing the TET review petitions the Court found no 'error apparent on the face of the record'. This phrase is best defined as which one of the following?

  • A. An error that is self-evident on merely looking at the record and does not require a long-drawn process of reasoning on points where two views are possible
  • B. Any error of law, howsoever discovered, that a party is able to establish through detailed re-argument of the case
  • C. A wrong finding of fact that can be re-agitated because fresh evidence has since become available
  • D. A new and important legal argument that the Bench had overlooked while hearing the original matter

Q8. Consider the following statements about the 86th Constitutional Amendment Act, 2002: 1. It inserted Article 21A making free and compulsory education a Fundamental Right for children aged six to fourteen years. 2. It recast Article 45 so that it now directs the State to provide early childhood care and education for children below the age of six. 3. It inserted a new Fundamental Duty casting the responsibility to secure education of children aged 6-14 solely on the State and not on parents. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. It inserted Article 21A making free and compulsory education a Fundamental Right for children aged six to fourteen years.
  2. It recast Article 45 so that it now directs the State to provide early childhood care and education for children below the age of six.
  3. It inserted a new Fundamental Duty casting the responsibility to secure education of children aged 6-14 solely on the State and not on parents.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q9. Article 21A is operationalised through the RTE Act, 2009, whose administration at the Union level is handled by which ministry/department?

  • A. Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education
  • B. Ministry of Women and Child Development
  • C. Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment
  • D. Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship

Q10. In the TET review proceedings, Tamil Nadu submitted that enforcing the ruling would affect approximately how many teachers in the state?

  • A. About 1 lakh teachers
  • B. About 2 lakh teachers
  • C. About 4 lakh teachers
  • D. About 10 lakh teachers

Q11. The RTE Act permits relaxation of the minimum-qualification (TET) requirement for a limited period where adequately qualified teachers are not available — the basis on which shortage-related concerns in the TET case were argued. This relaxation is provided under which provision?

  • A. Section 23(2) of the RTE Act, 2009
  • B. Section 23(1) of the RTE Act, 2009
  • C. Section 21 of the RTE Act, 2009
  • D. Section 12(1)(c) of the RTE Act, 2009