Maha teachers stage silent protest opposing SC’s TET mandate, demand review petition

Association president Keshav Jadhav described the Supreme Court ruling as “a shock to thousands of teachers who have already cleared all required eligibility exams, interviews, and have years of teaching experience

Thousands of teachers from across Maharashtra staged a silent protest (march) at the Pune district collector’s office on Sunday, opposing the Supreme Court’s recent decision which mandates all in-service teachers teaching classes 1 to 8 to pass the Teachers Eligibility Test (TET) within two years.

The association urged the state not only to file a review petition in the Supreme Court but also, if necessary, seek an amendment to the Right to Education (RTE) Act through the central government to safeguard existing teachers. (HT)

The protest, organised by the Maharashtra State Primary Teachers’ Central Association, demanded that the state government immediately file a review petition in the Supreme Court against what the teachers are calling an ‘unjust and impractical’ decision. Teachers also threatened “to boycott local self-government election duties” if their demands are not fulfilled.

During the protest, one teacher questioned, “We qualified through exams before becoming teachers so why another TET now?”

Another teacher said, “We became teachers through due process and rigorous evaluation. Forcing us to reappear for TET is nothing short of harassment.” Teachers expressed deep resentment over being asked to requalify for posts that they already hold.

Association president Keshav Jadhav described the Supreme Court ruling as “a shock to thousands of teachers who have already cleared all required eligibility exams, interviews, and have years of teaching experience”.

“It is unfair to declare these teachers as ineligible now. If the government truly wishes to protect the education system, it must also protect the dignity of teachers,” Jadhav said.

The association urged the state not only to file a review petition in the Supreme Court but also, if necessary, seek an amendment to the Right to Education (RTE) Act through the central government to safeguard existing teachers.

Furthermore, the association warned that if the state government fails to take swift action to challenge the TET mandate, teachers across Maharashtra will boycott local self-government election duties and may intensify their protests statewide.

On September 1, 2025, the Supreme Court held that all teachers teaching classes 1 to 8 across the country must clear the TET within two years else face termination. The decision, aimed at standardising teaching qualifications, drew criticism from various teachers’ organisations, especially in Maharashtra, where thousands of teachers are already serving after completing required state-level recruitment exams.

Following the verdict, state school education minister Pankaj Bhoyar assured teachers’ organisations in a meeting held on October 1 in Nagpur that the government would soon file a review petition. Consequently, a statewide protest scheduled for October 4 was suspended. However, teachers alleged that no action had been taken ever since before once again taking to the streets for their cause.

The demands raised by the teachers include: immediate filing of a review petition in the Supreme Court; if required, amending the RTE Act through the Centre to exempt in-service teachers; reinstatement of the March 15, 2024 government resolution (GR) on revised school recognition norms; abolition of ‘Shikshan Sevak’ contractual scheme; regularisation of posts; counting the entire service period of tribal and rural school teachers for seniority and benefits; and withdrawal of excessive online administrative work burdening teachers.

Mahendra Ganpule, former spokesperson of the State Principals’ Association, said, “According to the Supreme Court’s earlier decision, if a teacher fails to qualify the TET exam, their salary can be withheld. Now, the demand is that making TET mandatory after 2013 is acceptable, but applying it to teachers who have been in service from before 2013 is highly unjust. They were already qualified as per the eligibility criteria applicable at that time. Introducing new criteria now is unnecessary. These teachers had already proven their eligibility before joining the service that’s precisely why they were appointed. Imposing a fresh TET requirement on them makes no sense.”

Very soon, all teachers’ associations in India are going to join the protest to be held at Jantar Mantar, Delhi. Thirty-six teachers’ associations from Maharashtra will participate in this. There has been no response from the collector so far.