New Delhi, Aug 11 (INB) The Supreme Court has made the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) a mandatory qualification for teachers covered under the RTE Act, with eligible teachers now required to acquire the qualification by August 31, 2028, the government informed the Lok Sabha on Monday. In a written reply, Minister of State for Education Jayant Chaudhary said the Supreme Court, in its September 1, 2025 judgment, held that TET is one of the minimum qualifications prescribed under Section 23 of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009. The apex court had directed eligible teachers to acquire the prescribed TET qualification within the specified timeline, the minister said. Subsequently, while disposing of review petitions in the matter on May 29, 2026, the Supreme Court extended the deadline for acquiring TET qualification from August 31, 2027, to August 31, 2028. The court also observed that the appropriate governments and authorities should endeavour to conduct TET periodically, preferably twice a year, with an interval of around six months between examinations, to provide eligible teachers reasonable opportunities to meet the qualification requirement, Chaudhary said. The minister said the Supreme Court had also considered the practical difficulties faced by in-service teachers who were recruited before the enactment of the RTE Act. Under the court’s direction, teachers who had less than five years of service remaining as on September 1, 2025 may continue in service until attaining the age of superannuation without acquiring the TET qualification. However, such teachers will not be eligible for promotion unless they obtain the prescribed TET qualification, the minister said. Chaudhary also pointed out that education is a subject under the Concurrent List of the Constitution, while recruitment, service conditions and deployment of teachers fall within the administrative domain of the respective state governments and Union Territory administrations.
