The Supreme Court of India dismissed a batch of review petitions in New Delhi to reaffirm that the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) is mandatory for all primary and upper primary in-service school teachers, extending the compliance deadline to 31 August 2028 to prevent widespread systemic disruption in classrooms.
A division bench comprising Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Manmohan issued the final ruling. The apex court evaluated nearly 70 review petitions filed by multiple state governments, teacher associations, and individual educators. These petitioners sought a re-examination of a previous 2025 judgment, which had initially given working teachers a strict two-year window to pass the test.
The court rejected the primary argument that enforcing the test on long-serving teachers constituted a retrospective application of the Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009. The bench clarified that the legislative intent of the RTE Act explicitly targeted the elevation of minimum teaching standards nationwide. The court observed that the perceived professional insecurity of uncertified staff cannot override a child’s fundamental right to quality elementary education.
While the legal mandate remains uncompromised, the bench invoked its extraordinary powers under Article 142 to offer a one-time equitable relaxation. The grace period for acquiring the qualification was extended from two years to three years, moving the final cutoff date to 31 August 2028. To facilitate this massive transition, state authorities have been directed to systematically organize the TET examinations at least twice every year.
Under the current legal guidelines, in-service teachers with more than five years of remaining service must clear the test within the extended timeframe or face compulsory retirement. Senior teachers with less than five years of service before retirement are exempt from termination but remain ineligible for career promotions until they successfully pass the examination. The court strictly stated that no further extensions will be granted.
