Chennai: The Tamil Nadu government has reduced the qualifying marks for reserved category candidates in the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) by five percentage points, following demands from teachers' organisations.

According to a government order issued by the School Education Department, the pass mark for candidates belonging to backward and most backward classes has been fixed at 50 per cent, while it has been reduced to 40 per cent for Adi Dravidar and tribal candidates.

The Teacher Eligibility Test, conducted for 150 marks, is mandatory for appointment as secondary grade and graduate teachers, in accordance with the Right to Education Act and Supreme Court directions.

Earlier, candidates from the general category were required to secure 60 per cent, while those from other categories needed 55 per cent to qualify.

Teachers' unions had urged the state government to bring the qualifying marks on a par with other states by reducing the cut-off by five percentage points. The government accepted the demand and issued the order, officials said.

The revised norms are expected to benefit a large number of aspirants and facilitate the recruitment of teachers in government schools across the state.

Officials said the move would help address staff shortages while ensuring compliance with national eligibility standards.