Today, On 1st August, The Supreme Court ruled that passing the Teachers Eligibility Test (TET) is a mandatory requirement for teachers. Without clearing TET, they cannot continue in service or become eligible for future promotions within the education system.
The Supreme Court ruled that passing the Teachers Eligibility Test (TET) is a necessary condition for teachers to remain in service or seek promotions.
The Bench, comprising Justices Dipankar Datta and Augustine George Masih, granted relief to those teachers who are within five years of retirement, allowing them to continue working.
However, teachers with more than five years of service must pass the TET to continue in their roles; otherwise, they are required to resign or apply for compulsory retirement with terminal benefits.
Notably, the issue of whether the state can enforce TET requirements for minority institutions and how this impacts their rights has been referred to a larger Bench.
This judgment addresses a series of petitions from various states, including Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra, concerning the mandatory nature of the TET for teaching positions.
The National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) established minimum qualifications for teaching candidates in Classes I to VIII in schools in 2010, after which the TET was introduced.
The petitions stemmed from disagreements about the application of the TET to current teachers, particularly regarding promotions and the rights of minority institutions.
Petitioners contended that imposing the TET on existing staff was unjust, while state authorities supported it as a necessary quality standard in accordance with NCTE guidelines.
With this ruling, the Supreme Court has established the TET as a standard requirement for the majority of serving teachers, while leaving the issue of minority institutions’ rights for further examination.