Supreme Court Extends TET Deadline By One Year, Rejects Exemption Pleas

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The Supreme Court has extended by one year the deadline for teachers to qualify the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET). Teachers across the country will now have to clear the examination by Aug 31, 2028. Earlier, the deadline was Aug 31, 2027.

However, the court once again rejected petitions seeking exemption from the mandatory TET requirement for teachers appointed before 2009.

The decision was delivered on Friday by a division bench led by Justice Dipankar Datta. The court was hearing multiple petitions filed by the governments of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, along with teacher associations from West Bengal and Kerala, challenging the compulsory TET requirement.

The apex court said all teachers working in non-minority schools across the country must qualify TET by Aug 31, 2028.

During the hearing on May 13, the Supreme Court made strong observations while addressing teachers seeking relief. The bench remarked that teachers should not think only about protecting their jobs, but should also consider children who deserve quality education.

On Sept 1, 2025, a bench comprising Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Manmohan ruled that all teachers with more than five years of service remaining would have to clear TET within two years, by September 2027.

Teachers with less than five years of service remaining were exempted from the mandatory requirement. However, the court clarified that they would still need to pass TET to become eligible for promotions.

Following the ruling, the Directorate of Public Instruction (DPI) directed teachers working in primary and middle schools to appear for TET. Those who fail to take the examination or clear it would lose their jobs. After protests by teachers, the government filed a review petition in the Supreme Court, which has now been dismissed.

Teachers share mixed reactions

Teacher organisations in Madhya Pradesh expressed mixed reactions to the Supreme Court order.

MP Guruji Adhyapak Sangh president Rakesh Patel said, "I have been teaching for 29 years. Now I am being asked to take a test. Suppose I fail to clear it. Does that mean I have ruined the future of thousands of students whom I have taught over the years?"

MP Shikshak Sangh working president Upendra Kaushal welcomed the one-year extension, saying it provided temporary relief to teachers.

"The organisation will demand that the Central Government bring an ordinance and amend the Right to Education Act, 2009, to exempt teachers appointed before the implementation of the Act from the TET examination," Kaushal added.