Kerala Government suspends mandatory K-TET order, stands with teachers after union protests

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala Government has temporarily suspended the order issued by the Department of General Education making the Kerala Teacher Eligibility Test (K-TET) mandatory for appointments and promotions of teachers in government and aided schools across the state, Education Minister V Sivankutty announced on Saturday. The decision follows protests from teachers’ organisations.

“The Supreme Court had mandated K-TET. Applications for the eligibility test have now been invited again. A review petition will be filed against the Supreme Court order,” the Minister said.

Minister Sivankutty added that the protests by representatives of teachers’ organisations were due to a lack of understanding of the issue and emphasised that the government stands with the teachers.

Teachers’ unions had expressed strong objections to the government’s earlier decision, which denied promotions to teachers without K-TET despite the Supreme Court granting a two-year time limit.

The CPI-affiliated teachers’ organisation AKSTU criticised the eligibility order for causing anxiety among teachers. Similarly, the CPM-affiliated KSTU demanded that the government reconsider the order while teachers were preparing for the special K-TET examination.

The government’s action was taken in the context of the Supreme Court ruling dated September 1, 2025.

What the disputed K-TET order entailed

• Mandatory K-TET for higher qualifications: The previous order exempted teachers with higher qualifications (SET, NET, MPhil, PhD, MEd) from K-TET. The government then revoked this exemption, meaning even highly qualified teachers must now qualify K-TET for appointments and promotions.
• K-TET mandatory for reserved seats in Aided Schools: K-TET was made mandatory even for posts reserved for differently-abled candidates in aided schools.
• For promotions: For high school teachers seeking positions as Head Teachers or transfers to higher secondary sections (HSST/HSST Junior), K-TET Category III qualification was made compulsory.
• LP/UP appointments: For LP (Lower Primary) and UP (Upper Primary) teacher appointments, candidates qualifying in K-TET Category I or II will continued to be considered. However, Category III remained mandatory for high school appointments.
• CTET Exemption: Candidates who have passed the Central Teacher Eligibility Test (CTET) continue to receive exemptions. CTET Primary Stage passers are eligible for LP appointments, while Elementary Stage passers are eligible for UP appointments.
• By-transfer appointments: For appointments via by-transfer to HST/UPST/LPST positions, only teachers who have passed the relevant K-TET category would be considered.