Kerala files review petition against KTET implementation: Minister V Sivankutty

THRIUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala government has filed a review petition in the Supreme Court challenging its verdict that made the Kerala Teacher Eligibility Test (K-TET) mandatory for teacher appointments and promotions, state General Education and Labour Minister V Sivankutty said on Saturday.

The petition seeks a reconsideration of the judgment, citing the unique characteristics of the state's education sector and the practical difficulties faced by teachers, the minister said in a statement.

If implemented, the verdict could affect the jobs of nearly 50,000 teachers in the state , he said adding that protecting teachers who have served for years is the government's responsibility.

Kerala had achieved top positions in literacy and educational standards even before the introduction of K-TET, and therefore the claim that teachers without the eligibility examination are unqualified does not stand in the state's context, he explained.

Sivankutty further pointed out that teachers who joined service before the introduction of K-TET in 2012 did not have an opportunity to acquire the qualification. The government has therefore requested that teachers who entered service before March 31, 2012, should be exempted from the K-TET requirement and allowed to continue in service till retirement, he said.

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Permanent exemption from K-TET for teachers

The review petition also seeks permanent exemption from K-TET for teachers holding higher qualifications such as NET, SET and PhD, and has urged that the test should not become a barrier for promotions of teachers already in service. The minister said the existing verdict denies principles of natural justice to teachers appointed before the 2010 notification of the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE).

Reiterating the government's commitment to resolving teachers' concerns while maintaining the quality of public education in Kerala, Sivankutty expressed hope that the review petition would result in a verdict favourable to teachers, the statement added. On Saturday, the Kerala government froze its earlier order regarding the implementation of K-TET for appointments and promotions in government and aided schools in the state.

Among others, as per the new guidelines, candidates who have cleared either Kerala Teachers' Eligibility Test (K-TET) Category I or Category II will continue to be eligible for appointment as Lower Primary (LP) and Upper Primary (UP) teachers. Sivankutty, in a statement, had said the implementation of the instructions issued in the January 1, 2026 dated order will be frozen until further orders.

The Left government in the state had issued new guidelines on K-TET for appointments and promotions in government and aided schools, following recent Supreme Court judgments on the mandatory nature of such eligibility tests. The decision was taken in the background of a Supreme Court judgment dated August 7, 2023, and a later ruling on September 1, 2025. The government had said it sought clarification from the Director of General Education and examined the issue in detail before issuing the revised norms.