CHENNAI: With the appointment of new Minister of School Education and pending approvals from officials, the training materials prepared for the special Teachers' Eligibility Test sit idle despite being ready for distribution.
The State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) has prepared the material for the exam for in-service teachers, scheduled for July 4 and 5. Despite demanding the materials several times, the department is yet to distribute the training materials, online or otherwise.
"While announcing the dates for TNTET for in-service teachers, the department assured that necessary training will be extended to the teachers. But, so far, neither the required materials have reached us nor has the training started," said a secondary grade teacher in Chennai.
The SCERT has formed a team that worked on framing content for the teachers to clear the special TET. It also provided training on how to use these materials. Despite all this, the materials are sitting ideally awaiting the necessary approvals.
"With the exam scheduled in July, there is only a month left for preparations. Hence, we urge the Directorate of Government Examination to release the materials at the earliest," said another teacher.
The State government, on October 13, 2025, officially announced to conduct a special TET for in-service teachers in 2026, following the SC's September 1 order. The TN government assured that the necessary training will be extended to the secondary grade teachers and post-graduate teachers.
The Supreme Court ruled that TET will be nonnegotiable for new teacher appointments and those in-service. And, importantly, teachers across India, appointed before the implementation of the Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009, who have more than five years of service pending, will have to clear TET in two years.
The teachers who were unable to clear TET within the stipulated time will be forced to face compulsory or voluntary retirement. This order of the Supreme Court will be applicable to teachers of Classes 1 to 8.
Department officials did not respond when contacted.