STFI Files Review Petition Against Mandatory TET; Tripura Teachers Rally in Support

Agartala, Tripura — September 18, 2025 Content: The School Teachers Federation of India (STFI) has moved the Supreme Court once again, filing a review petition against the apex court’s September 1 order that made the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) mandatory for all serving and future schoolteachers in the country. Soon after the petition was submitted, senior STFI leaders gathered outside the Supreme Court premises in New Delhi, joined by state-level affiliates from across India. Among the prominent supporters were the Tripura Government Teachers Association (TGTA) and the Tripura Teachers Association (TTA–HB Road), both of which are members of STFI. Leaders from these organisations confirmed their full backing of the legal challenge, calling it a “necessary step” to safeguard the rights of teachers while still upholding educational standards. The Supreme Court’s September 1 ruling has been described as a landmark judgment in India’s education sector. It declared that all serving teachers from Classes I to VIII—covering both primary and upper-primary levels—must clear the TET if they wish to continue in service. Teachers who have more than five years left before retirement have been given a two-year deadline to qualify. Those who fail to pass the test within this period risk compulsory retirement or termination. Teachers with fewer than five years of service left will be allowed to continue until retirement without passing the TET, but they will be barred from promotions. The order also reaffirmed that clearing the TET is a non-negotiable requirement for all future teaching appointments, ensuring a common benchmark of competency for new recruits. Importantly, the issue of whether minority-run institutions would also be bound by this ruling has been referred to a larger bench for further deliberation. The intent behind the ruling, according to the Supreme Court, is to raise the overall quality of education nationwide by setting a uniform qualification standard. The order is closely aligned with the Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009 and the norms laid down by the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE). However, the verdict has triggered widespread anxiety among teachers’ associations. Many educators, particularly those with long service records, argue that it is unfair to compel experienced teachers—some with decades in classrooms—to sit for a qualifying exam at the tail end of their careers. They insist that their years of experience and classroom expertise should carry weight, and that such blanket requirements fail to recognise practical realities in the teaching profession. In Tripura, both TGTA and TTA (HB Road) have voiced strong support for STFI’s petition, describing it as a collective fight. Teachers across the state have organised meetings and issued statements of solidarity, saying they welcome reforms for quality education but oppose measures that could penalise or demoralise seasoned educators. Meanwhile, resistance is building beyond Tripura. In Uttar Pradesh, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has directed the Basic Education Department to also file a review petition, echoing similar concerns raised by teachers’ groups in his state. With multiple stakeholders rallying against aspects of the September 1 order, the stage appears set for an extended legal and political debate over how best to balance teacher accountability with job security and educational reform.