Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 3 The Kerala government has put on hold its order making the Kerala Teacher Eligibility Test (K-TET) mandatory for school teacher appointments and promotions, following widespread opposition from teachers' organisations.
General Education Minister V. Sivankutty on Saturday said the government has taken seriously the concerns raised by teachers who entered service before April 1, 2010, and assured that their job security would be protected.
The controversial order had been issued to implement a Supreme Court judgment delivered in September, which made K-TET mandatory even for promotions, including the elevation of high school teachers as headmasters, without exemptions for higher qualifications such as NET or PhD.
The move triggered strong protests, including from Left-leaning teachers' unions such as the Kerala School Teachers Association (KSTA), forcing the government into a rapid rethink.
Explaining the government's position, Sivankutty said the Supreme Court verdict adversely affects teachers appointed under earlier recruitment rules and that insisting on a qualification, which did not exist at the time of their appointments, was against the principles of natural justice.
K-TET was introduced in Kerala only in 2012, he pointed out.
"Treating teachers appointed before and after its introduction on the same footing, the government believes, violates Article 14 of the Constitution," said Sivankutty.
The minister said the state would file a review petition before the Supreme Court, arguing that retrospective implementation of the judgment could lead to large-scale loss of employment and serious social and economic consequences.
He stressed that removing experienced teachers would weaken, rather than improve, educational quality, noting that Kerala had achieved high literacy and education standards long before K-TET was introduced.
Nearly 40,000 teachers with more than five years of service remaining were facing the prospect of losing promotions and service benefits if the order was enforced.
In response, the government has scheduled a special K-TET examination in February 2026 for in-service teachers who wish to acquire the qualification.
Sivankutty said a revised government order would be issued after the special examination and assured that all legal steps would be taken to ensure that not a single teacher appointed before 2010 loses their job.
He added that officials have been directed to expedite the filing of the review petition after consultations with teachers' organisations and legal experts.
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