K-TET: Education Minister intervenes; controversial circular withdrawn

Thiruvananthapuram: Following simmering protests by teachers and school managers, the General Education Directorate has withdrawn its circular directing the demotion and dismissal of aided school teachers who do not possess Kerala Teacher Eligibility Test (K-TET) qualifications. The action was taken following the intervention of Minister N Samsudheen. A revised circular will be issued after high-level consultations.

Official explanations state that the circular issued on Saturday aimed to implement a September 2025 Supreme Court verdict, which ruled that individuals without K-TET qualifications should not serve as teachers. The circular had revoked all exemptions previously granted by the former LDF government regarding teachers' promotions and appointment approvals. It directed that teachers appointed on or after September 1,  2025 without K-TET qualifications must be dismissed, and those who had received promotions must be demoted.

Criticism arose that the circular created a job crisis, given that the Supreme Court has granted a deadline until August 2028 to acquire the necessary qualifications.

The KSTA accused the authorities of harassing teachers, whilst the AKSTU condemned the revocation of exemptions previously granted by the government itself.