Kerala Education Minister V. Sivankutty has hit out at a recent Supreme Court ruling on the Teachers’ Eligibility Test (TET). He announced that the state government will take legal action against the order, which makes TET mandatory for all in-service teachers handling Classes 1 to 8 in non-minority schools. This comes after the Supreme Court’s decision on September 1, aimed at enforcing stricter teacher qualification standards under the Right to Education (RTE) Act.
The ruling shakes things up big time for teachers appointed before the RTE Act kicked in back in 2009. Now, even these experienced educators must pass the TET to keep their jobs, get promotions, or continue serving. Sivankutty warned that this could badly affect around 50,000 teachers in Kerala alone. “This order hits most teachers hard, complicating promotions and new appointments. Teachers’ associations are up in arms, saying it’s unfair to apply TET rules retrospectively to those who’ve served for years,” he explained.
Since education falls under the Concurrent List in India’s Constitution, central laws like the RTE Act hold more weight. But Kerala isn’t backing down. The government plans to head back to the Supreme Court—maybe with a review petition or by asking for clearer guidelines on how to roll out this TET mandate. Sivankutty shared more details from the judgment: Teachers with less than five years until retirement can stay on without passing TET, but they won’t qualify for promotions. For those with more time left, they’ve got just two years to clear the exam. If they don’t, they’ll face compulsory retirement, though they’ll get their full terminal benefits.
This Supreme Court order draws from the RTE Act, its 2017 amendments, and a 2010 notification by the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) that sets uniform teacher eligibility standards across the country. The court noted that while the rule might feel tough on long-time teachers, it’s crucial for maintaining high-quality education for kids.
Sivankutty highlighted the nationwide ripple effect: “This TET ruling will impact lakhs of teachers in government, aided, and private schools all over India.” He also pointed out Kerala’s track record of protecting existing teachers during past qualification updates, like for primary and language teachers. Plus, he took a swipe at both the Congress-led UPA and BJP-led NDA governments for not building in similar protections when introducing TET requirements earlier.
As the debate heats up, many eyes are on how this TET controversy unfolds and what it means for India’s education system.
