A national-level teachers’ organisation on Friday (June 12) intends to seek legislative and policy protection for teachers appointed before the TET was notified as a mandatory qualification in 2010. This comes after widespread dissatisfaction among the staff recruited under old rules.
According to the Delhi unit of the Akhil Bharatiya Rashtriya Shaikshik Mahasangh (ABRSM), a letter will be submitted to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on June 18, 2026, in this regard.
The organisation said that the apex court’s disposal of review pleas pertaining to TET eligibility requirements has caused restlessness among the lakhs of teachers.
It has sought four key measures from the Centre, hoping that it would adopt a sensitive, far-sighted and justice-oriented approach to protect the interests of teachers appointed before TET became mandatory.
- 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.
- Clear directions to all states and Union territories to immediately remove uncertainty and insecurity regarding the service status of such teachers.
The organisation further said that the National Council for Teacher Education notified the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) as a minimum qualification for teachers on August 23, 2010. But the appointments in numerous states had already been made as per the rules, eligibility criteria and selection procedures required then.
The teachers appointed before the notification had made significant contributions to nation-building, quality education, social awareness and character-building over the years,” ABRSM said, according to a news agency PTI.
Mentioning the top court’s verdict, the organisation said that although the decision must be respected, it is a constitutional reality that courts interpret the law, whereas Parliament and the government hold the power to provide legislative and policy solutions in the larger public welfare.
In May, the Supreme Court extended the deadline for passing TET till August 31, 2028, restating that teachers must clear it to stay in service.
A bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and Manmohan had rejected a batch of more than 65 review petitions filed by several state governments, teachers’ associations and individual teachers objecting to the court’s earlier ruling in the Anjuman Ishaat-e-Taleem Trust case, according to a PTI report.
The petitions had asked the court to review the 2025 judgement, which made TET compulsory for 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 organisation contended that the recruitments made before 2010 fulfilled the criteria prevailing at that time and hence, it is unfair to apply subsequently introduced eligibility requirements to them.
ABRSM further said, “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,” according to the news agency.
Also Read | Supreme Court Extends TET Qualification Deadline till August 2028