Teachers' body seeks TET exemption for pre-2010 appointees, plans appeal to PM Modi

New Delhi: A national-level teachers' organisation on Friday said it plans to seek legislative and policy protection for teachers appointed before the TET was notified as a mandatory qualification in 2010. A letter in this regard will be submitted to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on June 18, the Delhi unit of the Akhil Bharatiya Rashtriya Shaikshik Mahasangh (ABRSM) said in a statement.

Over 25 lakh teachers across the country are facing anxiety and uncertainty following the Supreme Court's May 29 order disposing of review petitions related to TET eligibility requirements, the organisation said. It further said the National Council for Teacher Education notified the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) as a minimum qualification for teachers on August 23, 2010. Before that, appointments in various states had already been made in accordance with the rules, eligibility criteria and selection procedures prevailing at the time, it said.

The ABRSM said teachers appointed before the notification had made significant contributions to nation-building, quality education, social awareness and character-building over the years. Referring to the Supreme Court's decision, the organisation said while the verdict must be respected, it is also a constitutional reality that courts interpret the law, whereas Parliament and the government have the authority to provide legislative and policy solutions in the larger public interest.

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Last month, the Supreme Court reiterated that clearing the TET is mandatory for in-service teachers and extended the time till August 31, 2028 for passing the exam to remain in service. A bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and Manmohan had dismissed a batch of more than 65 review petitions filed by several state governments, teachers' associations and individual teachers challenging the court's earlier ruling in the Anjuman Ishaat-e-Taleem Trust case.

The petitioners had sought reconsideration of the court's 2025 judgment which held that in-service teachers appointed before the enactment of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, and having more than five years left before retirement, must clear the TET within two years from September 1, 2025. The ABRSM argued that appointments made before 2010 were fully valid under the rules and qualifications applicable at the time and that applying subsequently introduced eligibility norms to such teachers would be unjust and contrary to the principles of natural justice, equality and legal certainty.

It further said that the experience, efficiency and long years of service of teachers who have been serving for decades should be given due weightage. The organisation also warned that uncertainty over the future of lakhs of teachers and their families could adversely affect both teachers' morale and the stability of the education system.

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The organisation has sought four key measures from the Centre, i.e, permanent exemption from the TET requirement for all teachers appointed before August 23, 2010; full protection of service benefits, including seniority, promotion and other service-related entitlements; legislative amendments or special provisions, if required, to provide permanent relief to the affected category of teachers; and clear directions to all states and Union territories to immediately remove uncertainty and insecurity regarding the service status of such teachers. The organisation expressed hope that the Centre will adopt a sensitive, far-sighted and justice-oriented approach to safeguard the interests of teachers who were appointed before the TET became mandatory.