Pune: The Maharashtra School Education Department has made the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) mandatory for primary teachers appointed on compassionate grounds across the state.

The decision aims to align with the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) guidelines and standardize qualifications for teaching professionals, ensuring that all primary teachers possess the requisite qualifications to deliver quality education.

Under the new regulation, teachers appointed on compassionate grounds will have to clear either the Central Teacher Eligibility Test (CTET) or the state-level Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) within a three-year period.

Failure to meet this requirement will result in the termination of their services. The School Education Department released an official resolution to this effect, ending a previous exemption granted to these teachers.

The NCTE, in its August 23, 2010 notification, established the minimum educational and professional qualifications for primary teachers from classes 1 to 8, making the TET a compulsory qualification.

In line with this, the Maharashtra government had earlier mandated TET or CTET for primary teachers through resolutions passed in 2013. However, a government decision dated January 20, 2016, had exempted teachers appointed on compassionate grounds from this requirement—a move that was not in sync with NCTE's directives.

To correct this inconsistency, the state has now revoked the exemptions given in the 2016 decision. As per the new directive, teachers who were appointed on compassionate grounds and already working without TET or CTET qualifications have been given a three-year deadline to pass the examination.

This includes teachers who have received individual approval and Shalaarth IDs, as well as those appointed by institutions but not yet formally recognized by the Education Authority.

Teachers who fail to clear the TET or CTET within the stipulated time will face termination. However, due to the compassionate nature of their initial appointments, authorities are instructed to make efforts to reassign these individuals to other available positions.

Despite these efforts, the seniority of such candidates will be placed at the lowest rank in their respective categories.