Thiruvananthapuram: With the Supreme Court’s order reaffirming that the Kerala Teachers Eligibility Test (K-TET) qualification is mandatory, Kerala finds itself constrained in providing protection to school teachers facing job uncertainty. Earlier review petitions filed by Kerala and other states seeking relaxation for teachers appointed prior to the rule have been rejected. A review petition route remains an option for state governments, but such pleas are rarely considered except in exceptional circumstances. Similarly, as the ruling potentially affects around 20 lakh teachers across the country, another practical solution is that the Centre can intervene through legislation. The Akhil Bharatiya Rashtriya Shaikshik Mahasangh (ABRSM), an organisation aligned with the RSS, has called for an ordinance to protect teachers and for a legislative amendment during the Monsoon Session of Parliament.

State Education Minister N Samsudheen said there is disagreement with the removal of teachers with 10–20 years of service over the ruling and that legal remedies would be explored. According to the earlier Supreme Court verdict, K-TET qualification is mandatory, and those who do not obtain it by September 2027 are liable to be removed. At that time, around 64,000 teachers in Kerala were facing job uncertainty. More than half have since cleared the K-TET this year, leaving around 30,000 still to qualify. Another examination is scheduled for June. The deadline for obtaining K-TET qualification has been extended to September 2028.

Teachers’ organisations, including KSTA general secretary T.K.A. Shafi, AKSTU general secretary O.K. Jayakrishnan, and NTU general secretary T. Anoop Kumar, have demanded central legislation to safeguard teachers and have indicated they are working together to push for amendments.

TET background

The Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) was introduced under the Right to Education Act, 2009, and made operational in 2012. When the rule was implemented, it was initially assumed that it would not apply retrospectively, and teachers appointed before 2012 were granted exemptions. However, the Supreme Court later ruled that even pre-2012 appointees must obtain TET qualification. Kerala’s request for exemptions for candidates with NET, SET and PhD qualifications was not accepted.