Punjab Newsline | New Delhi
In a major relief for thousands of teachers across India, the Supreme Court has extended the deadline for clearing the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) by one year. Teachers will now have time until August 31, 2028, to qualify the examination. Earlier, the deadline was set for August 31, 2027.
The decision comes as a significant respite for teachers who had not yet cleared the mandatory exam and were facing uncertainty over their jobs. The ruling is expected to reduce pressure in several states where a large number of teachers were unable to fulfill the TET requirement.
While hearing petitions filed by teachers, the Supreme Court rejected the demand to exempt teachers appointed before 2009 from the TET requirement. The court made it clear that all teachers must eventually meet the eligibility criteria laid down for maintaining education standards.
During the proceedings, the bench also urged teachers to focus not only on securing their jobs but also on providing quality education to children. The court emphasized that improving the standard of teaching remains equally important.
Earlier, around 30,000 teachers from Uttar Pradesh had staged a protest at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan against the compulsory TET requirement. Teachers had been demanding either relaxation in the rule or an extension of the deadline for a long time.
The National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) had made TET mandatory to improve the quality of the education system. However, the rule affected a large number of teachers in different states who had not qualified the exam, putting their employment at risk after the deadline approached.
With the extension granted by the Supreme Court, teachers have received temporary relief, but the court also underlined that maintaining teaching quality remains their responsibility.
