Uttarakhand government supports 12,000 teachers, will approach Supreme Court

The Uttarakhand government has decided to file a review petition in the Supreme Court regarding the mandatory TET (Teacher Eligibility Test) requirement for primary school teachers recruited before 2011. This decision was taken by the state cabinet on Tuesday. ​​The Supreme Court had ruled on September 1, 2025, that all primary school teachers across the country, up to the age of 55, must pass the TET within the next two years. This ruling has created uncertainty for approximately 12,000 teachers in the state. The Uttarakhand State Primary Teachers’ Association had appealed to the Chief Minister and Education Minister to file a review petition in the Supreme Court to seek relief for teachers recruited before 2011 from the mandatory TET requirement. The association argued that while the Right to Education Act (RTE) mandates TET for teachers nationwide, the Uttarakhand Primary Education Service Rules have been based on this provision only since 2011. Teachers recruited before that date were appointed under the previous rules. Therefore, teachers recruited before 2011 are facing considerable stress due to the Supreme Court’s decision. The association had demanded that teachers recruited before the implementation of the RTE be exempted from the mandatory TET requirement. The Uttarakhand Junior High School Teachers’ Association has expressed its satisfaction with the government’s decision and thanked the Chief Minister and Education Minister.