Parliament Question: Mandatory Teacher Eligibility Test

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION & LITERACY LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO:- 208 ANSWERED ON-03/08/2026 MANDATORY TEACHER ELIGIBILITY TEST †*208. Shri Bhausaheb Rajaram Wakchaure: Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state: (a) whether the job crisis has arisen for experienced teachers appointed prior to 2013 due to the condition of mandatory Teacher Eligibility Test (TET), if so, the details thereof; (b) whether there is any proposal to grant a permanent exemption to these experienced teachers under Section 23(3) of the Right to Education (RTE) Act, if so, the details thereof; (c) whether the mandatory requirement of the said examination is proposed to be waived off on 'humanitarian grounds' for teachers who are on the verge of retirement, if so, the details thereof; (d) whether the Government acknowledges the significance of decades of teaching experience over any formal eligibility test; and (e) the current status of the proposed amendment in Section 23 of the RTE Act to protect the interests of experienced teachers? ANSWER MINISTER OF EDUCATION (SHRI PRALHAD JOSHI) (a) to (e): A statement is laid on the table of the House. *****STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (A) TO (E) OF LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 208 FOR REPLY ON 03/08/2026 ASKED BY HON’BLE MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT SHRI BHAUSAHEB RAJARAM WAKCHAURE REGARDING “MANDATORY TEACHER ELIGIBILITY TEST”. (a) to (e): Education is a subject in the Concurrent List of the Constitution and the recruitment, service conditions and deployment of teachers fall within the administrative domain of the respective State Governments and Union Territory Administrations. The information regarding teachers appointed prior to 2013 who may be affected by the mandatory Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) requirement is maintained by the respective State Governments and Union Territory Administrations. The Hon'ble Supreme Court of India, vide its judgment dated 01.09.2025, inter alia, held that the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) is one of the minimum qualifications prescribed under Section 23 of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, and is mandatory for appointment as a teacher in schools covered under the Act. The order of the Hon'ble Supreme Court may be accessed at the following link: https://api.sci.gov.in/supremecourt/2018/36466/36466_2018_9_1501_63764_Judgement_01- Sep-2025.pdf. Subsequently, while disposing of the review petitions in the matter, vide judgment dated 29.05.2026 the Hon'ble Supreme Court extended the timeline for acquisition of TET qualification from 31.08.2027 to 31.08.2028. The judgment dated 29.05.2026 of the Hon'ble Supreme Court may be accessed at the following link: https://api.sci.gov.in/supremecourt/2025/53434/53434_2025_7_1501_71637_Judgement_29- May-2026.pdf. The Hon'ble Supreme Court, in the judgment dated 29.05.2026, has further observed that the respective appropriate Governments/authorities should endeavour to conduct the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) periodically, preferably twice every year, with an interval of approximately six months between successive examinations, so as to afford eligible teachers a reasonable opportunity to comply with the prescribed minimum qualification. *****