Raipur: The Supreme Court has delivered a significant verdict regarding currently employed teachers. A deadline of August 31, 2028, has been set for teachers working in primary and secondary schools to pass the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET). Rajesh Chatterjee, State President of the Chhattisgarh Pradesh Shikshak Federation, stated that the Supreme Court has ordered the state government to conduct the TET examination. There are concerns that the employment and promotion prospects of teachers who fail to pass the TET within the stipulated timeframe could be adversely affected.
Office bearers of the Chhattisgarh Pradesh Shikshak Federation—including State President Rajesh Chatterjee and General Secretary Satish Byauhare—confirmed that the Supreme Court has fixed August 31, 2028, as the deadline for serving primary and secondary school teachers to clear the TET.
Directive to Conduct TET Twice a Year
In Paragraph 34 of the order passed on May 29, 2026, regarding Review Petition (Civil) Diary No. 53434/2025 (State of U.P. vs. Anjuman Ishaat-e-Taleem Trust & Others) and Civil Appeal No. 1385/2025, the Court clarified that the concerned state and competent authorities must conduct the TET regularly. Preferably, the exams should be held twice a year—with an interval of approximately six months—to enable eligible teachers to fulfill the statutory requirement.
Impact on Promotions
According to the Federation, Paragraph 216 of the order dated September 1, 2025, states that teachers with less than five years of service remaining may continue in their posts until retirement but will be excluded from consideration for promotion. Paragraph 218 reiterates that serving teachers who do not possess the TET qualification will not be considered for promotion. Failure to pass the TET within the prescribed deadline could jeopardize their employment. Issue Related to NCTE Norms
Federation office-bearers stated that the TET (Teacher Eligibility Test) in India is conducted by central and state governments based on NCTE guidelines. At the national level, the CBSE conducts the CTET, whereas in Chhattisgarh, the CG-TET is conducted by CG Vyapam. According to the NCTE notification, the TET was not mandatory for teachers appointed prior to August 23, 2010. Although examinations were held in Chhattisgarh after July 2011, the requirement did not affect thousands of long-serving teachers because the TET was not mentioned in the recruitment rules or appointment letters. The notification for the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (Amendment) Act, 2017, was issued on August 9, 2017.
Demand for Conducting a Departmental TET
The Federation argues that if the state government does not conduct the TET, how are teachers expected to appear for the exam? In line with Supreme Court orders, the Chhattisgarh government should—following the example of Uttar Pradesh and other states—conduct a departmental TET for serving teachers. This would enable them to meet the qualification requirements within the stipulated timeframe and prevent the termination of any teacher’s service due to a lack of opportunity.
