TET mandatory for teachers: Odisha govt to frame policy after interpreting SC ruling

The Odisha government will carefully interpret the recent Supreme Court verdict making the Teachers’ Eligibility Test (TET) mandatory for recruitment and continuation in service, School and Mass Education Minister Nityananda Gond said on Tuesday.

Reacting to the Apex Court’s ruling, the Minister stated that while the state government respects the judgment, the interests of teachers will also be taken into consideration before implementing it. 

We need to strike a balance. Teachers’ welfare and interests are equally important, and all aspects will be reviewed before taking any decision, Gond told reporters.

“The Supreme Court has made the TET mandatory for all teachers. We will interpret the ruling of the apex court, and accordingly, necessary steps will be taken,” Gond said.

Notably, a bench of justices Dipankar Datta and Augustine George Masih of the Supreme Court had recently ruled that teachers with more than five years of service left must compulsorily clear the TET. Those failing to qualify would either have to resign or be compulsorily retired from service.

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The ruling has stirred anxiety among many in-service teachers who have not yet appeared for or cleared the eligibility test. While the teacher associations have expressed concern over job security, the Minister assured that the state will examine the order in detail before framing its policy.