YS Jagan Urges Centre to Exempt Pre-2011 Teachers from TET

YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) president and former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has demanded that teachers appointed before 2011 be exempted from the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) , saying the existing rules are unfairly burdening experienced educators and affecting their careers.

In a detailed post on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday, Jagan criticized the Andhra Pradesh Government , alleging that it has failed to address the concerns of more than one lakh teachers who are reportedly facing difficulties due to the mandatory TET requirement.

According to Jagan, teachers who entered government service before 2011 had already qualified through the District Selection Committee (DSC) recruitment process, which was the prescribed eligibility criterion at the time. Since TET was introduced only after the implementation of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009 , he argued that making it compulsory for those already in service amounts to applying the rule retrospectively.

He questioned the rationale behind asking teachers with 20 to 25 years of classroom experience to appear for an examination covering multiple subjects and secure a minimum 60% score . Such a requirement, he said, overlooks their proven teaching experience and long-standing service in government schools.

Jagan also claimed that the TET mandate has stalled promotions and created uncertainty over job security , leaving many teachers under considerable mental stress. Despite repeated concerns raised by teachers, he alleged that the state government has not taken any meaningful steps to resolve the issue.

The former Chief Minister urged the Chandrababu Naidu government to pass a resolution in the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly and forward it to the Central Government , seeking a one-time exemption for teachers appointed before 2011. He maintained that the Centre has the authority to consider such a relaxation, as the TET requirement stems from national regulations framed under the RTE Act and guidelines issued by the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) .

Jagan said teachers who had already cleared competitive recruitment examinations and entered service before the TET regime should not be compelled to meet a qualification that did not exist at the time of their appointment. He urged the state government to take up the matter with the Centre without delay and provide long-pending relief to eligible teachers.

The issue has been a longstanding demand of several teacher associations, which argue that while TET serves as a minimum qualification for new recruits, its retrospective application to teachers appointed before 2011 is inequitable. They have consistently sought a policy exemption to safeguard promotions and career progression for thousands of experienced educators across the state.