There’s some reassuring news for millions of government teachers across the country. The fear, tension, and confusion surrounding the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) have long been lingering, offering hope that their future will be put to rest. Especially for those teachers who have been teaching in schools for many years but, for some reason, haven’t yet passed the TET, their futures have been seriously questioned.
The situation became even more difficult after the Supreme Court’s decision in September 2025. The court clearly stated that passing the TET would be mandatory for all teachers. This directly affected millions of primary and upper primary teachers across the country. Many teachers who had been serving for 10, 15, or even 20 years suddenly felt insecure. They feared losing their jobs or having to retire prematurely if they failed to pass the TET.
Teaching pressure or exam preparation?
Non-TET teachers have consistently questioned whether they should focus on teaching students or prepare for the exam to save their jobs. Retaking the exam is not easy for teachers. Therefore, teachers’ organizations have repeatedly urged the central government and states to exempt older and experienced teachers from the TET requirement or provide them with special relief.
Important step of the central government
Now, the central government has taken a major and important step in this direction. The Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education, has requested detailed reports from all states and union territories. The ministry has asked for complete details of teachers from grades 1 to 8 who were appointed before 2011.
States must provide this information by January 16th. A letter to this effect was sent to the Chief Secretaries of all states on December 31st. This report seeks crucial information, such as the number of teachers appointed before and after 2011, how many teachers have passed the TET or CTET, and how many teachers have yet to pass the TET, and the teachers’ age, educational qualifications, and training status. This move by the government clearly indicates that it intends to understand the entire matter seriously and does not intend to make any decisions without complete information.
Lakhs of teachers hope for relief
This initiative by the central government is expected to provide relief to approximately 1.2 million teachers. A large number of teachers in various states have not yet passed the TET. Approximately 1.86 lakh teachers in Uttar Pradesh, approximately 80,000 third-grade teachers in Rajasthan, approximately 300,000 teachers in Madhya Pradesh, and approximately 27,000 primary teachers in Jharkhand are all directly affected by this decision and now have high expectations from the government.
What was the Supreme Court’s decision?
In its decision, the Supreme Court stated that teachers who are not TET-qualified must pass the exam within two years. If they fail to do so, they may be forced to leave their jobs or face retirement. However, the court also stated that teachers with only five years of service remaining may be granted some relief.
What will happen next?
Now, all eyes are on the decisions of the central government and the states. If the government decides to exempt older and experienced teachers from the TET or to make alternative arrangements, it will provide relief to millions of families. This government move could give a new direction to the future of teachers in the future.
