Meghalaya to seek review of Supreme Court order on Teacher Eligibility Test requirement

Meghalaya Education Minister Lahkmen Rymbui on October 28 said the state government will file a review petition against the Supreme Court’s September 1 order that made the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) mandatory for all in-service teachers. 

The move is aimed at seeking relief for over 32,000 teachers across the state who could be affected by the directive.

Minister Lahkmen Rymbui said the government will seek an exemption for teachers appointed before the implementation of the Right to Education (RTE) Act, arguing that the apex court’s judgment has a retrospective effect. 

“Our contention is that this judgment has a retrospective effect. What we want is that the government should exempt all those teachers who were appointed before the RTE Act came into force,” Rymbui told PTI.

He explained that since the implementation of the RTE Act, the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) had set minimum standards and qualifications for teachers, and Meghalaya has complied with these requirements. “After the coming of the RTE and the subsequent notification of NCTE, the standards for teacher recruitment were made clear, and the state government has complied with them. So, there is no question of non-compliance,” Rymbui said.

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According to him, the government’s main concern lies with those teachers who were recruited before the RTE Act and may not meet the current TET norms. “Around 32,000 teachers will be affected by this judgment, which means they will have to clear the TET within two years,” he said, expressing concern that many may struggle to qualify within the stipulated timeframe.

The Education Minister clarified that teachers who have already cleared the Meghalaya Teacher Eligibility Test (MTET) or the Central Teacher Eligibility Test (CTET) will be exempted from taking further tests and their services will continue unaffected.

Rymbui described the issue as one of “interpretation,” emphasizing that Meghalaya has been recruiting teachers in line with NCTE norms. “If they meet the criteria prescribed by NCTE, they are eligible to continue in service,” he said.

The minister also acknowledged that many of these teachers have been serving for years and have made significant contributions to the education system. “We only seek that their long years of service and experience be considered without applying such a condition retrospectively,” he said.

He expressed hope that the Supreme Court would take into account the state’s situation sympathetically and provide relief to the affected teachers.

The Supreme Court’s order of September 1 had directed all in-service teachers, regardless of their date of appointment, to pass the TET within two years to continue in service, in line with the qualifications prescribed by the NCTE.

If the review petition is admitted, Meghalaya hopes to secure retrospective relief for those teachers appointed before the RTE Act came into effect.