Supreme Court: TET Mandatory for Teachers to Retain Jobs, Promotions

The Supreme Court has ruled that passing the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) is mandatory for teachers to remain in service or to be considered for promotion—even for those appointed before the TET requirement came into effect.

A bench of Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Manmohan delivered the verdict while hearing a batch of civil appeals, including Anjuman Ishat-E-Talim Trust vs State of Maharashtra and Others. The National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) had made TET compulsory on July 29, 2011, for appointments in classes 1 to 8. The key question before the court was whether the rule applied retrospectively.

Key Directives for Serving Teachers:

• Teachers with less than 5 years until retirement: May continue in service without TET but will not be eligible for promotion.

• Teachers with more than 5 years of service left: Must clear TET within two years. Failure to do so will lead to compulsory retirement or termination, with retirement benefits paid.

The ruling settles a long-standing debate and underscores that TET is a non-negotiable benchmark for teaching standards across the country.