Consider the following statements:

1. As per the Right to Education (RTE) Act, to be eligible for appointment as a teacher in a State, a person would be required to possess the minimum qualification laid down by the concerned State Council of Teacher Education.

2. As per the RTE Act, for teaching primary classes, a candidate is required to pass a Teacher Eligibility Test conducted in accordance with the National Council of Teacher Education guidelines.

3. In India, more than 90% of teacher education institutions are directly under the State Governments.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

The correct option is 2 only.

Let us analyze each statement individually based on the Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009, and the structure of teacher education in India:

Statement 1: Incorrect
According to Section 23(1) of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, any person possessing such minimum qualifications as laid down by an academic authority authorized by the Central Government by notification shall be eligible for appointment as a teacher. The Central Government designated the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE)—not the State Council of Teacher Education—as the academic authority for laying down the minimum qualifications for teacher appointments.

Statement 2: Correct
As per the guidelines issued by the NCTE under the provisions of the RTE Act, passing a Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) is mandatory for a person to be eligible for appointment as a teacher for classes I to VIII (primary and upper primary classes). The TET must be conducted in accordance with the guidelines framed by the NCTE.

Statement 3: Incorrect
In India, the majority of teacher education institutions (TEIs) belong to the private sector. More than 90% of teacher education institutions are self-financed/private management institutions, while less than 10% are under government ownership/management (Central or State Governments).

Therefore, only Statement 2 is correct.