TN govt to file review petition against mandatory TET for in-service teachers

CHENNAI: In the wake of the Supreme Court’s order causing a controversy regarding the mandatory Teachers’ Eligibility Test (TET) for in-service teachers across India, the Tamil Nadu government has announced that it will file a review petition before the apex court.

The TN School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi here on Thursday issued a press statement regarding the same. The TN government will file a review petition against the judgment delivered on September 1 in Anjuman Ishaat-e-Talim Trust vs State of Maharashtra and others.

In the statement by the school education department, representing the TN government, pointed out that if the top court’s order is implemented in its present form, the ruling will cause mass compulsory retirements, leaving schools across TN with crippling teacher shortages.

“It will be practically impossible to recruit or train an equivalent number of TET-qualified teachers in the short timeframe provided. Such a situation will inevitably affect the education of lakhs of students, disrupt classroom teaching, and create instability in the school system,” the statement stressed.

Further, the department explained that the review petition will be filed on key grounds such as the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 (RTE Act) under Section 23, which regulates minimum qualifications only for new appointments. It does not authorise compulsory retirement of teachers already in service.

Additionally, the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) notification released on 23 August 2010 – which first introduced TET – clearly stated that its provisions would not apply to teachers already appointed before that date.

Also, the review petition will highlight that retrospective application of TET unsettles vested rights of lawfully appointed teachers, causes disproportionate hardship, and threatens the stability of the education system.

“TN government is committed to ensuring both quality in education and justice for teachers. The review petition seeks to strike this balance. SC will now be approached to reconsider its judgment, and TN will strongly present the case, standing firmly with teachers,” the statement representing the TN government added.

Meanwhile, in the judgment, the apex court has directed that all in-service teachers who do not possess the TET qualification must acquire it within two years. If they fail to do so, they would face compulsory retirement with terminal benefits.

Teachers with less than five years of service remaining have been allowed to continue till retirement, but without eligibility for promotion.