‘Cruelty, not reform’: Supreme Court’s TET ruling will hit 98 lakh, senior teachers hardest, says union

As per the All-India Primary Teachers’ Federation’s estimate, the Supreme Court’s judgment on teacher eligibility tests (TET) will impact as many as 9.8 million - or 98 lakh – teachers. The AIPTF has also pointed out that it will impact senior and experienced teachers most.

Last week, the Supreme Court ruled that all in-service school teachers across the country must pass the state or central Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) within two years to continue in service. A Division Bench, while hearing cases from Maharashtra concerning minority educational institutions and Tamil Nadu regarding teacher promotions, directed that teachers who fail to qualify within the stipulated period will face compulsory retirement.

For many teachers, the ruling has felt like a sudden betrayal. Thousands who entered classrooms long before TET became mandatory now find themselves facing an ultimatum.

“This is not reform – it is cruelty dressed as policy,” said Deeksha (name changed), a government high school teacher in rural Karnataka. “We have kept schools alive with minimal support, managed overcrowded classrooms, and worked without proper resources. To now threaten dismissal over a test we were never required to take is deeply unfair.”

‘Experience should matter’: Teachers

Reema J, another senior teacher working in Maharashtra, drew a parallel outside education: “Imagine telling a surgeon with 25 years in the operation theatre to requalify or resign. Experience should matter. Standards are important, but the timing and terms are wrong.”

“Kerala values education,” said Akshay, a former teachers’ union member in Thiruvananthapuram but now working as a consultant in Bengaluru. “We are ready to retrain, to adapt, even to take exams if truly necessary — but compulsory retirement without a plan will hurt children, not help them. There must be a transition strategy, not a mass exit.”

Kerala has decided to challenge the verdict. “We will move legally to protect our teachers while complying with constitutional requirements,” said Kerala education minister V. Sivankutty in Thiruvananthapuram. He said the state government “respects the Supreme Court” but “cannot allow experienced teachers, who entered service under older rules, to be forced out abruptly.” Roughly, 50,000 teachers are impacted by the verdict in the state.

Tamil Nadu, meanwhile, has assured teachers of support. “We will stand with our teachers and explore every legal and administrative step to safeguard both quality education and job security,” said state school education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi. He said the department was “assessing the operational impact of the verdict” and “would ensure no disruption to students’ learning in the transition period. The state plans to hold

Maharashtra legislative council member JM Abhyankar has estimated that in his state, 6 lakh are impacted ; he has sought six-month leave for teachers to prepare for the TET.

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TET Exams: ‘System will collapse’

Two of the country’s largest teachers’ unions — the School Teachers’ Federation of India (STFI) and the AIPTF — have opposed the verdict and demanded a review. In a statement signed by STFI president CN Bharti and general secretary Chava Ravi, the federation said the decision “unfairly impacts senior teachers” and “requires urgent reconsideration”. It called on both central and state governments to file review petitions to protect the jobs of experienced educators.

The AIPTF, representing 23 lakh teachers through 24 state affiliates, has written to the union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan on September 4, warning that “approximately 9.8 million school teachers in the country will be affected by this decision”. The letter said the verdict is “authoritative and against the interests of the school teachers, who have been in the profession for many years” and warned that “if this is applied to the school education system, the whole system will collapse”.

The Supreme Court’s order addresses a long-running legal question about whether TET is required only for new hires or also for promotions and continuance in service. By making it mandatory across the board, the court has sought clarity but may have created a practical crisis, said multiple teachers.

The TET became compulsory in 2011, after the Right to Education Act 2009 mandated that all school teachers must be trained. Centrally, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) conducts the Central Teacher Eligibility Test (CTET); states conduct the STETs .

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Parents Divided: Disruption vs quality

Among parents, the reaction has been split, often along urban-rural lines. In villages and small towns, where schools already operate with skeletal staff, the prospect of losing experienced teachers feels dangerous.

“Our village school has only three teachers,” said Meena, a mother of two from Bihar who works in Bangalore. “If even one or two fail this test, who will teach our children? This judgement punishes students for old policy confusion, not the teachers’ fault.”

India’s school system is already under strain, with over 3,50,000 sanctioned teaching posts vacant across government schools , according to the most recent Project Approval Board minutes. Merging schools, multi-grade classrooms, and high attrition are widespread problems. Education experts warn that enforcing TET retroactively without a transition plan risks destabilizing entire districts. “You cannot fix the system by breaking it,” said Ravi (name changed) who has worked in Delhi and Gujarat, a parent of two and an educationalist. “If quality is the goal, improve training, resources, and mentoring, not mass retirements.”

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But in urban centres, some parents see opportunity in the upheaval. “This could finally push states to professionalise teaching,” said Ramesh GK, a parent and PTA member in Gurgaon. “If the test is fair and supported by training, it will be good for our children. Every profession needs standards, and teaching should not be different.”