Meghalaya SSA Teachers File Supreme Court Review Petition Against Mandatory TET Ruling

The MeghalayaSSA Schools’ Association (MSSASA) has filed a review petition in the Supreme Court challenging its September 1 verdict mandating the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) for all in-service teachers nationwide to retain their positions.

MSSASA President Aristotle Rymbai confirmed that the petition was submitted on Saturday, specifically contesting the court’s ruling in the Anjuman Ishaat-E-Taleem Trust vs State of Maharashtra case.

The Supreme Court’s decision requires all in-service teachers, irrespective of their experience, to pass the TET, a directive rooted in the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) notification of August 23, 2010, and the 2017 amendments to the Right to Education (RTE) Act. Rymbai stated that the petition was filed after thorough discussions among association members, driven by widespread apprehension among SSA teachers in Meghalaya. “Teachers directly impacted by this ruling must unite and act rather than rely solely on government intervention”, he said.

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The decision to pursue the legal challenge was finalised during a general meeting, where members approved the move despite the significant financial costs involved. Both MSSASA and Meghalaya’s Education Minister Lahkmen Rymbui had previously expressed alarm over the ruling’s implications, warning of its severe impact on the state’s teaching community.

Rymbui highlighted the retrospective nature of the directive, which requires even veteran teachers with 20 to 25 years of service to pass the TET within two years. He estimated that the ruling could affect between 10,000 and 15,000 teachers in Meghalaya alone.

In response, the state’s Education Department has initiated a data collection effort, requesting district education officers to provide detailed information on teachers’ qualifications, years of service, and TET status. The outcome of MSSASA’s review petition is eagerly awaited, as it will shape the future of thousands of in-service teachers in Meghalaya and other states facing similar challenges due to the Supreme Court’s mandate.