APTET - BACKGROUND AND RATIONALE 1. The implementation of the Right of Children to free and compulsory education (RTE) Act 2009 requires the recruitment of a large number of teachers across the country in a time bound manner. In spite of the enormity of the task, it is desirable to ensure that quality requirement for recruitment of teachers is not diluted at any cost. It is therefore necessary to ensure that persons recruited as teachers possess the essential aptitude and ability to meet the challenges of teaching at the Elementary level Classes (I to VIII). 

2. In accordance with the provisions of sub-section (1) of section 23 of the RTE Act, the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) had vide Notification dated 23rd August, 2010 laid down the minimum qualifications for a person to be eligible for appointment as a teacher in classes I to VIII. It had been inter alia provided that one of the essential qualifications for a person to be eligible for appointment as a teacher in any of the schools referred to in clause (n) of section 2 of the RTE Act is that she/he should pass the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) which will be conducted by the appropriate Government in accordance with the Guidelines framed by the NCTE. Accordingly, Government of Andhra Pradesh has issued guidelines for conducting Teacher Eligibility Test in A.P. vide G.O.Ms. No. 51, School Education (SE.GENL-II) Dept., Dated 16–04–2011. Subsequently, three more GOs. G.O.Ms.No. 70, School Education (SE.GENL-II) Dept., Dated 06.06.2011 and G.O.Ms.No. 102, School Education (SE.GENL-II) Dept., Dated 28.07.2011, G.O.Ms.No.256, Finance (SMPC-I) Department, Dated: 08.12.2011 are issued.