Thiruvananthapuram: The General Education Department on Saturday froze its earlier order that made the Kerala Teachers’ Eligibility Test (K-TET) mandatory for appointments and promotions in government and aided schools.

Addressing the media, Education Minister V Sivankutty said the government took the decision after strong opposition from teachers’ unions. He clarified that the government would soon file a review petition in the Supreme Court against the recent judgment on K-TET, asserting that the verdict adversely affects teachers who entered service prior to April 1, 2010.

Sivankutty said the government is committed to ensuring the job security of teachers who were appointed in accordance with the recruitment rules prevailing at the time of their appointment. "Therefore, the government has decided to file a review petition before the Supreme Court against the judgment," he said. Not even a single teacher appointed before 2010 would lose their job, the minister assured.

He said the Right to Education Act aims at ensuring quality education, but removing teachers with long years of service and rich experience would only weaken the education system. He further pointed out that Kerala has achieved high standards in education and literacy even before the introduction of K-TET.

K-TET was introduced in Kerala only in 2012, and insisting that teachers appointed years earlier should now acquire a qualification that did not exist at the time of their appointment goes against the principles of natural justice, Sivankutty said. "The government is of the view that treating teachers appointed before the introduction of K-TET and those appointed thereafter on the same footing amounts to a violation of Article 14 of the Constitution," he said.

Implementing such judgments with retrospective effect would result in large-scale loss of employment and lead to serious economic and social consequences, the minister further pointed out. "A notification has been issued to conduct the K-TET examination in February 2026 for those who wish to acquire the qualification. However, the government will undertake all necessary legal interventions to ensure that not even a single teacher appointed prior to 2010 loses their job," he explained.

Teachers need not be anxious in the wake of the developments, Sivankutty added. Officials in the department have been directed to expedite the filing of the review petition after holding discussions with teachers' organisations and legal experts in this, the minister added.

The minister's statements came a day after the Kerala government has issued new guidelines on the Kerala Teachers' Eligibility Test (K-TET) for appointments and promotions in government and aided schools, following recent Supreme Court judgments on the mandatory nature of Teachers' Eligibility Tests. The authorities took the decision in the background of a Supreme Court judgment dated August 7, 2023, and a later ruling on September 1, 2025, in Writ Petition No 1385/2025 and connected civil appeals. The government had said it sought clarification from the Director of General Education and examined the issue in detail before issuing the revised norms.
(With PTI Inputs)