Telangana Govt to File Review Petition in SC Against TET for In-Service Teachers
he order applies to government, aided, and private non-minority schools, while its applicability to minority institutions has been referred to a Constitution Bench.
Hyderabad: The Telangana government will file a review petition against the Supreme Court’s September 1 ruling which made the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) mandatory for all teachers handling classes 1 to 8. The state will seek exemption for teachers recruited before 2011, official sources confirmed on Tuesday.
The move comes after strong representations from teacher MLCs and unions, including the Progressive Recognised Teachers’ Union (PRTU) and United Teachers’ Federation (UTF), who met Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and urged him to intervene.
They pointed out that states such as Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Tamil Nadu have already announced plans to challenge the ruling. Mr. Reddy, who also holds the education portfolio, assured them that Telangana’s petition would be filed before the end of the month.
The Supreme Court’s ruling requires all teachers, except those with less than five years of service left before retirement, to clear TET within two years to remain in service. Nearly one lakh teachers in Telangana are likely to be affected. Without TET certification, they would not be eligible for promotion, and failure to qualify could cost them their jobs.
Union leaders argued that the judgment unfairly penalises long-serving staff. “For more than a decade, these teachers have been exempted. Imposing TET now is demoralising,” they said, noting that the 2010 NCTE notification mandated TET only for new recruits, with state orders in 2011 and 2015 upholding that exemption.
They also cautioned that the rule could worsen the shortage of teachers and stall long-pending promotions. “Instead of focusing on students, senior teachers will be forced to prepare for an exam never meant for them,” union representatives said.
The order applies to government, aided, and private non-minority schools, while its applicability to minority institutions has been referred to a Constitution Bench.
Teachers have also appealed to Union minister G. Kishan Reddy and Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan for relief. Responding to their plea, Kishan Reddy assured them that he would take up the issue with the Centre.