School Education – APTET – Permission to conduct Special Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) exclusively for in-service teachers appointed prior to 2011 in view of the judgment of the Hon’ble Supreme Court in Civil Appeal No. 1385 of 2025, dated 01.09.2025 – Accorded.
Ref:
- Orders, dated 01.09.2025 of the Hon’ble Supreme Court in Civil Appeal No.1385 of 2025.
- G.O.Ms.No.36, School Education (Ser.I) Dept., dated 23.10.2025.
- Orders of the Hon’ble Supreme Court, dated 29.05.2026 in Review Petition (Civil) Diary No.53434/2025 in Civil Appeal No.1385 of 2025.
- Representation of Dr. Vepada Chiranjeevi Rao, Sri Alapati Rajendra Prasad, Sri Kancharla Srikanth, Sri Bhumireddy Ramgopal Reddy & Sri Perabathula Rajasekhar, MLCs, dated 01.06.2026.
- From the Director of School Education, A.P., Lr.Rc.No.ESE02-35//2026-TET-CSE, dated 11.06.2026.
According to the judgment of the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India in Civil Appeal No.1385/2025, in-service teachers who were recruited prior to the enactment of the RTE Act, and having more than five years of service to retire on superannuation as on 01.09.2025, i.e., the date of the above orders, must qualify the TET within a period of two years. Consequently, teachers appointed prior to 2011, who were not required to possess TET qualification at the time of their appointment, are now required to qualify in TET within the stipulated period.
- Government, vide reference 2nd cited, issued guidelines for conducting Andhra Pradesh State Teacher Eligibility Test (APTET), wherein Rule-9.1 prescribed the procedure for in-service teachers.
- Further, while disposing of the Review Petitions arising out of the aforesaid judgment in Civil Appeal No.1385/2025, the Hon’ble Supreme Court, by order dated 29.05.2026, declined to interfere with the requirement of acquiring the TET qualification. However, taking note of the practical difficulties expressed by various States and stakeholders, the Hon’ble Apex Court extended the deadline to three years (from 01.09.2025 to 31.08.2028) and further directed the concerned authorities to conduct Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) examinations periodically, preferably twice every year, interspersed with an approximate period of six months between the successive examinations, so as to provide adequate opportunities to eligible teachers to acquire the prescribed qualification within the stipulated period.
- In order to facilitate compliance with the directions of the Hon’ble Supreme Court and to support the experienced in-service teachers, the Hon’ble MLCs have represented the Government, vide reference 4th cited, to consider conducting Special Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) exclusively for teachers appointed prior to 2011, in addition to the regular TET examination. Conducting such Special TETs two or three times during the compliance period would provide adequate opportunities for the eligible teachers to qualify without undue hardship.
- Accordingly, the Director of School Education, vide reference 5th cited, has submitted necessary proposal to the Government with regard to conducting Special Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) for in-service teachers appointed prior to 2011 in view of the judgment of the Hon’ble Supreme Court in Civil Appeal No.1385 of 2025, dated 01.09.2025.
- Government, after careful examination, hereby accords permission to the Director of School Education to conduct Special Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) exclusively for in-service teachers appointed prior to 2011, besides the regular TET (both for teacher trainees and in-service teachers) as usual, to enable them to obtain the TET qualification before 31.08.2028, in compliance with the deadline stipulated by the Hon’ble Supreme Court.
- The Director of School Education is, therefore, requested to take further necessary action accordingly in the matter.