Supreme Court upholds TET mandate, extends deadline to Aug 2028

New Delhi: The Supreme Court has dismissed review petitions challenging its earlier ruling that all school teachers, including those already in service, must clear the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET). However, the court has extended the deadline for obtaining the qualification from two years to three years, giving eligible teachers until August 31, 2028, to comply.

In its September 2025 judgment, the apex court had directed that teachers in non-minority schools with more than five years of service remaining must pass TET within the stipulated period or face removal from service.

A bench comprising Justices Dipankar Datta and Manmohan considered around 45 review petitions but declined to revisit the verdict. The court observed that TET is a crucial qualification designed to assess teaching aptitude and pedagogical competence, both of which are essential for ensuring quality education.

While upholding the requirement, the court exercised its extraordinary powers to grant an additional year for compliance. It also directed state governments to conduct TET examinations regularly, preferably twice a year, to enable teachers to acquire the qualification within the deadline.

The court stressed that the interests of students must take precedence over concerns about potential job losses among teachers. Noting that educators have effectively had nearly 15 years to obtain the qualification since the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2010, made TET mandatory, the bench said no further extension would be considered.

Kerala exemptions to lose validity
The verdict is expected to have significant implications in Kerala, where various exemptions from TET have been granted over the years.

Teachers appointed under such exemptions will now be required to clear TET within three years. The qualification will also remain mandatory for promotions.

During the final phase of the previous LDF government, promotions were granted to certain teachers on the condition that they would pass the TET within two years. Those promotions were made subject to the outcome of the review petitions before the Supreme Court. Teachers who have already been promoted may be allowed to continue, provided there are no other legal hurdles, and they acquire the qualification within the revised timeframe.

Legal experts point out that appointments made after the enactment of the Right to Education Act without a TET qualification could be viewed as contrary to the law. The Supreme Court's earlier ruling also covers teachers appointed before 2010 if they still have more than five years of service remaining.

However, questions remain over how the judgment will affect appointments made without TET after the law came into force. The court has, for now, continued to exempt appointments in minority educational institutions.

Complaints over K-TET evaluation
Meanwhile, complaints have surfaced regarding the evaluation of the Kerala Teacher Eligibility Test (K-TET) conducted in February.

Several candidates have alleged that they were not awarded the marks they were entitled to and that some results were withheld. They claim that marks for questions subsequently cancelled by the authorities, which were supposed to be awarded to all candidates, were not credited in several cases.

Pareeksha Bhavan Secretary S Santhosh Kumar said around 300 complaints had been received. He added that corrective action would be taken if the grievances are found to be genuine.