The Supreme Court has ruled that passing the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) is mandatory for all teachers to remain in service or be considered for promotion, even for those appointed before the test was made compulsory in 2011.

Delivering the verdict in a set of civil appeals, including Anjuman Ishat-E-Talim Trust vs State of Maharashtra and Others, a bench of Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Manmohan clarified that TET will be the minimum qualification for teaching Classes 1 to 8. The National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) had introduced the requirement on 29 July 2011.

Guidelines for serving teachers

• Teachers appointed before the 2011 mandate with less than five years of service left until retirement may continue without clearing TET, but will not be eligible for promotion.
• Teachers with more than five years of service remaining must pass the TET within two years. Failure to do so will lead to compulsory retirement or termination, though retirement benefits will be provided.

The bench also stated that retirement benefits will be subject to the qualifying service period. Any shortfall will be addressed by the concerned department in line with existing rules.

The ruling reinforces the TET as a baseline requirement: aspiring teachers must clear it before applying for posts in Classes 1 to 8, while serving teachers must comply to secure their continuation and advancement in the profession.

Inputs from NDTV Education

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