Vijay's government passes resolution seeking TET exemption for pre-2010 teachers

The Tamil Nadu Assembly passed a resolution seeking a full and permanent TET exemption for government school teachers appointed before August 23, 2010.The Tamil Nadu Assembly on Tuesday passed a resolution urging the Centre to grant a “full and permanent” exemption from the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) to government school teachers appointed before August 23, 2010.Piloting the resolution, School Education Minister A Rajmohan said around 3,28,701 government school teachers in the state could be affected by the TET requirement. He said many of them had completed 15 to 20 years of uninterrupted service and could face the loss of service benefits or their jobs if they failed to clear the examination.The resolution urged the Union government to amend Section 23 of the Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009, and issue appropriate guidelines through the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) to provide the exemption.It also called for the teachers to continue receiving service benefits, including promotions, without being affected by the TET requirement. TET became a mandatory qualification for teachers under the RTE Act.Referring to a recent Supreme Court ruling, Rajmohan said serving teachers were also required to clear the examination for promotion and, in some cases, to retain their jobs. “Forcing experienced educators to take the exam is unfair and threatens their job security and career growth,” Rajmohan said.The minister said the proposed exemption was intended to protect teachers who were appointed before August 23, 2010, before the TET requirement came into effect.DMK member and former state minister E V Velu said the previous DMK government had taken up the issue before the Supreme Court.Supporting efforts to secure a change at the Central level, Velu said the issue would have been different had education been placed under the State List.Members of the DMK, AIADMK, CPI, CPI(M) and PMK supported the resolution. The resolution was subsequently passed by a voice vote.- EndsPublished By: Rishab ChauhanPublished On: Aug 25, 2026 13:18 IST