A decision by the Supreme Court of India requires all in-service teachers with more than five years of service remaining to pass TET — a shift from optional to imperative.
The board has issued a notice to all district-primary-school councils (DPSCs) to compile lists of affected teachers — signalling the policy’s quick translation into state-level action.
Teachers’ names, designations, joining dates, retirement dates, qualifications — the directive asks for detailed personal and professional data to ascertain who falls under the new rule.
The criterion is clear: teachers who as of 1 Sept 2025 have more than five years left until retirement and have not passed TET are targeted.
For many in-service teachers this means a sudden urgency: what was once optional or future-oriented has now become a requirement with possible consequences.
While the data collection is specified, the directive does not yet clarify what happens next — special exams? Trainings? The uncertainty itself becomes a stress.
The board frames this as part of “improving the quality of primary education.” So the policy is being positioned not merely as regulation, but as enhancement of standards.
Teachers already holding posts may feel treated differently from new entrants. The retrospective imposition raises questions of fairness and equivalence.
Will this mandate inspire teachers to upgrade abilities and credentials, or will it generate resentment because it feels like compliance forced upon them?
The teacher’s professional identity shifts: long-standing service is no longer enough — credentials matter. That changes how teachers see themselves and how they are seen.
DPSCs and school administrations now have added administrative burden: collecting, verifying, submitting data under tight timelines.
For teachers who may not pass TET, the question looms: what will happen to their service, promotions, status? The unknown affects morale.
Behind the mandate lies an unspoken need: many teachers will likely need updating, up-skilling, or support to meet TET requirements.
A change at the state level signals that similar mandates might emerge elsewhere — the directive may set a precedent for teacher-eligibility policy nationwide.