A week after the Supreme Court’s ruling mandating the Teachers Eligibility Test (TET) for in-service teachers, confusion persists, with over a lakh teaching jobs hanging in the balance as state guidelines are still awaited.
The TET was introduced in 2013 as a requirement for new recruits. But the recent SC order extends this mandate to teachers already in service. These teachers now have two years to clear the test or face forced retirement. While the Supreme Court has exempted those with less than five years of service left, they will still need to clear the test for promotions.
Teacher unions and political leaders have begun writing to the state, demanding amendments to the order. “In compliance with the Hon`ble Supreme Court, 70-75 per cent of teachers in the state will now have to appear for the exam. Approximately 6 lakh teachers in local government aided and unaided schools stand to be affected. With a pass rate below five per cent and teachers burdened with teaching, evaluation, and non-academic duties, this will be an uphill battle,” said JM Abhyankar, member of Maharashtra Legislative Council.
Abhyankar has written to School Education Minister Dadaji Bhuse seeking a six-month preparatory leave, six MahaTET attempts within two years, and a “TET Deemed Qualified” status for those who repeatedly fail despite efforts.
While teachers hired after 2013 have already taken the test, many veteran teachers fear the sudden requirement. “The MahaTET has a vague syllabus, with aptitude and intelligence-based questions. Senior teachers are out of practice with competitive exams and lack the time to prepare,” said Jalindar Devaram Sarode, working president of Shikshak Sena. He added, “A teacher with 20 years of classroom experience should not be subjected to a retest.”
Minority schools, earlier exempted by a 2013 Bombay High Court order, also face uncertainty. “Contradicting rulings have sent the matter to a larger bench. Similar disputes are seen in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal,” said Dr Abdul Gaffar Quadri of Anjuman Ishaat-e-Taleem Trust.
While states like Kerala and Tamil Nadu plan to challenge the order, and West Bengal has seen protests, Maharashtra has yet to take a stand. Minister Bhuse recently said the department is “studying the judgment and interests of all stakeholders.”
2013
Year Teachers Eligibility Test was introduced
What is MahaTET?
The MahaTET is a paper-pencil multiple-choice exam. Candidates must clear Paper 1 (Std I-V) or Paper 2 (Std VI-VIII for Maths & Science or Social Sciences). In November 2024, nearly 11,000 of 3.5 lakh candidates qualified, with a pass rate under 4 per cent. Compared to the central test, teachers say MahaTET is tougher and poorly aligned with the syllabus. “The exam is as tough as MPSC. Imposing it on teachers hired before 2013 is unfair,” said Sudhir Ghagas, a principal and head of Maharashtra Shikshan Kranti Sanghatana. “My school already has 21 teacher vacancies. These rules may worsen the shortage despite competent staff.”
A Kalyan-based teacher who cleared the Central TET but failed MahaTET 2024 echoed this. “Though I teach Maths and Science, I was tested on Marathi grammar and literature. Language teachers also face unrelated questions. The design of the paper puts many of us at a disadvantage.”
