Pressure Increase Over Maharashtra TET 2026: Teachers Turn to Exam Preparation Following Supreme Court Judgment

The long-standing controversy surrounding the Teachers' Eligibility Test (TET) in Maharashtra has taken a new turn following a recent Supreme Court decision. Many of those who had previously been protesting against the mandatory TET requirement as serving teachers are now focusing their efforts on preparing for the examination.

This shift stems from the Supreme Court's clear ruling that passing the TET is a must for retaining one's job. Although the Court offered some relief by extending the deadline to qualify for the exam until August 2028.

The Supreme Court recently dismissed multiple review petitions challenging the decision to make the TET mandatory for in-service teachers. The Court ruled that currently serving teachers, too, must pass the TET. However, as the only measure of relief, the Court extended the deadline for passing the TET until August 2028. Therefore, while many teachers have gained some additional time, the uncertainty regarding their employment has not been entirely cleared.

According to data from the State Education Department, more than 6,00,000 candidates have already registered for the Maharashtra TET, scheduled to be held in June 2026. Previously, approximately 4,75,000 applications were submitted for the TET examination held in November 2025; however, this time, that figure has been significantly outperformed.

According to an official from the Education Department, many currently employed teachers are applying for the examination out of fear of losing their jobs following a Supreme Court decision.

A senior teacher from Mumbai stated that many had initially hoped for some form of freedom from the government or the courts. However, the situation has now become clear. In his words, it is better to start preparing for the TET now rather than sitting around in doubt. This is because if time is wasted, passing the exam later will become even more difficult.

Another teacher remarked that they have never opposed the TET itself. However, the fact that those who joined the profession before the TET was even introduced to sit for this exam again strikes many as unfair.

The National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) made the TET mandatory for teacher recruitment in 2011. For many of those who were appointed as teachers before this, this regulation has now come out as a major challenge.

According to available data, approximately 4,40,000 serving teachers in Maharashtra have not yet acquired the TET qualification. This figure accounts for nearly 90% of the total serving teachers. Of these, approximately 2,50,000 teachers were appointed before 2011. Furthermore, more than 62,000 teachers are currently over the age of 50.

Many teachers have already received various government awards and possess years of experience. Yet, they are now forced to begin studying to pass the TET. One teacher remarked, there is no alternative left now. To retain our jobs, we simply must pass the examination. According to education circles, this situation is also placing increased psychological pressure on these experienced teachers.

In February, the School Education Department of Maharashtra collected data from various districts. This information was forwarded to the Central Government to facilitate an analysis of the impact of the past record of the TET. However, following the recent Supreme Court decision, many now feel that focusing on exam preparation is more important than looking for a legal battle.

I am writing about this issue because it is not only news about an examination; rather, it is directly linked with the future of thousands of working teachers. In particular, many of those appointed as teachers prior to 2011 had long held the hope that they might receive some form of exemption from the TET.

However, following a recent decision, that possibility has effectively vanished. Therefore, many experienced teachers are now pushed to pick up their books once again in order to save their jobs, a development that has become a major topic of discussion within the educational community.