Kerala revises K-TET rules for teacher appointments after Supreme Court rulings

The Kerala government has revised its norms governing the Kerala Teachers’ Eligibility Test, tightening eligibility requirements for appointments and promotions in government and aided schools in line with recent Supreme Court rulings that reaffirm the mandatory nature of Teachers’ Eligibility Tests.

The updated guidelines follow a Supreme Court judgment dated Aug 7, 2023, and a subsequent ruling on Sept 1, 2025, in Writ Petition No. 1385/2025 and connected civil appeals.

The state said the changes were finalized after seeking clarification from the Director of General Education and examining the legal position in detail.

Under the revised rules, candidates who have qualified for K-TET Category I or Category II will continue to be eligible for appointment as Lower Primary and Upper Primary school teachers.

Those who have cleared K-TET Category III will be considered only for high school teacher posts.

The government has further specified that language teachers at the high school level must possess both K-TET Category III and Category IV qualifications.

In a significant shift, exemptions earlier granted to candidates with higher qualifications such as SET, NET, MPhil, PhD, or MEd have been withdrawn. These candidates will now also be required to clear the appropriate K-TET category for appointment.

For promotions, only serving high school teachers who hold K-TET Category III qualification will be eligible for promotion as headmasters and for by-transfer appointments to higher secondary school teacher and HSST (Junior) posts.

The existing procedure for promotion to the post of higher secondary school principal will remain unchanged.

The government has also clarified that exemptions granted to Central Teachers’ Eligibility Test candidates will continue.

Candidates who have passed the CTET Primary Stage will be eligible for Lower Primary teacher appointments, while those with CTET Elementary Stage qualification can be considered for Upper Primary teacher posts.

For by-transfer promotions to various teaching positions, only candidates with the relevant K-TET qualification for the concerned category will be considered.

Earlier, General Education Minister V Sivankutty had said the state would consider filing a review petition or approaching the Supreme Court to seek clarity on the judgment that made TET mandatory for all school teachers.

He had noted that the apex court examined laws and rules framed by the Union government and argued that, since education falls under the Concurrent List of the Constitution, the Centre should consider fresh legislation to address the concerns raised by the verdict.

The state government has now clarified that the revised guidelines will remain in force for the present, subject to the final outcome of the review petition pending before the Supreme Court.