TET ruling may impact thousands of teachers in Tripura

By Our Correspondent

Agartala, June 9, 2026

A recent Supreme Court ruling making the Teachers Eligibility Test (TET) a mandatory qualification for school teachers has triggered concern among thousands of teachers in Tripura who have not yet cleared the examination.

According to official estimates, nearly 8,000 teachers serving in government and government-aided schools could be affected by the verdict. The ruling applies to teachers handling classes covered under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009, which includes students aged between six and 14 years.

Sources said the number may rise further if teachers working in private schools are also brought under the ambit of the judgment. Education authorities have begun collecting data from schools to ascertain the exact number of teachers who may be required to qualify the TET.

The affected category is understood to include teachers appointed during different recruitment phases, including science teachers recruited in 1996 and 1997, assistant teachers appointed in 2003 and 2007, and science teachers recruited in 2012.

The Supreme Court, while disposing of a batch of review petitions related to the implementation of the Right to Education Act, fixed September 1, 2028, as the deadline for eligible teachers to clear the TET examination.

However, teachers above 55 years of age and those with less than five years of service remaining have been exempted from the requirement.

The ruling has created uncertainty among teachers below 55 years who have not qualified TET and are concerned about the implications for their continuation in service.

Questions have also been raised regarding teachers engaged under the Samagra Shiksha programme. It remains unclear whether they would be covered by the court's directions, as they are not regular government employees.

The judgment was delivered by a bench comprising Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Manmohan while hearing review petitions arising from the Anjuman-I-Islam's Ishaat-e-Taleem Trust case related to interpretation of provisions of the Right to Education Act.

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