SC verdict on TET puts Telangana teachers’ job at risk

Around 40,000 in-service teachers in Telangana must clear the Teacher Eligibility Test within two years to retain their jobs, following a Supreme Court ruling. Teachers near retirement are exempt from TET for job retention but must qualify for promotions

Hyderabad: After several years into their service, government and local body schools’ in-service teachers have a new challenge ahead in order to retain their jobs following the recent Supreme Court’s judgement on the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) requirement.

As per the verdict, all teachers, barring those with less than five years of service, must clear the TET within two years. However, teachers with less than five years of service must pass the TET in order to get promotions.

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“Insofar as in-service teachers recruited prior to enactment of the RTE Act and having more than 5 years to retire on superannuation are concerned, they shall be under an obligation to qualify the TET within 2 years from date in order to continue in service. If any of such teachers fail to qualify the TET within the time that we have allowed, they shall have to quit service,” the SC said.

Currently, there are 1.07 lakh teachers working under the State’s School Education Department. Of these, around 20,000 are roughly estimated to be within five years of retirement. This means, they do not require TET qualification to retain their jobs. However, it’s mandatory if they seek promotion.

After TET was made mandatory for teacher recruitment in the State, posts were filled via District Selection Committee in 2012, 2017, and 2024, where around 25,000 TET-qualified candidates were recruited. In addition, around 10,000 in-service teachers cleared the TET.

As per the estimates of the School Education Department, there are about 40,000 teachers continuing services without obtaining TET qualification. These teachers will now have four attempts to clear the TET as the eligibility test will be conducted only twice a year.

“We have not collected exact information but there will be around 40,000 in-service teachers without TET qualification. If these teachers do not obtain TET qualification, they will be asked to quit their jobs as per the Supreme Court verdict,” a School Education Department official told ‘Telangana Today’.

With this verdict, it will be a Herculean task for teachers to clear the TET as current generation candidates are finding it difficult to pass the test. During the last TET, the qualifying percentage stood at 61.50 in paper – I and 33.98 per cent in paper – II. TET paper–I is conducted for candidates who intend to become teachers for Classes I to V, while paper–II is for candidates who intend to be teachers for Classes VI to VIII.

Meanwhile, Telangana United Teachers’ Federation president Chava Ravi demanded the government file a review petition in the apex court on the TET judgement to protect the interest of senior in-service teachers.