A sharp rise in registrations for the Teachers Eligibility Test (TET) in Maharashtra was recorded this year, with 4.79 lakh candidates reported as having signed up for the examination scheduled on November 23. The increase was estimated at about 32% over the previous cycle, and the trend was widely attributed to the impact of a Supreme Court directive that was viewed as reshaping the prospects of in-service teachers who lacked TET qualifications. Under the court’s position, it was stipulated that serving teachers without TET would be required to pass the exam within two years or else accept compulsory retirement.
The TET framework was introduced in Maharashtra in 2013 for recruitment to classes 1–8 across government and aided institutions, and its continuation for new appointments was reaffirmed by the court. What was perceived as new and consequential for the existing workforce was the expectation that the mandate would be applied retrospectively to those already on the rolls. In the absence of a clear policy pronouncement by the state government, heightened anxiety was reported among serving teachers, many of whom were said to be exploring the examination route as a safeguard against job insecurity.
An uptick in registrations was confirmed by the Maharashtra State Council of Examination. It was stated by Commissioner Anuradha Oak that at least 1.15 lakh more applicants had been counted compared with last year, although separate figures for in-service candidates were not compiled. Against this backdrop, individual choices were being shaped by risk calculations. For instance, a Pune district teacher, Babasaheb Purandare, who was described as having begun service in 2012 and as having roughly two decades left in his career, was reported to have submitted his application early. It was conveyed that he did not wish to “take any chance” and that multiple attempts might be anticipated because of the exam’s difficulty and the constraints of a full workload.
Concerns about fairness were being voiced by teachers appointed prior to 2013. It was argued that exemptions granted earlier had created legitimate expectations, and that retrospective enforcement would be felt as an injustice. With a review petition in the Supreme Court having been filed by Uttar Pradesh, comparable steps were being requested by teacher groups in Maharashtra. Meanwhile, uncertainty was being compounded by historically low pass rates, which were described by Suresh Sawale of the Spardha Pariksha Samanvay Samiti as typically ranging between two and four percent.
A further layer of apprehension was introduced by integrity risks. It was warned that heightened stakes and a surge in test-takers could provide conditions under which paper leaks, mass cheating, or other malpractices might be attempted, with reference made to issues cited in 2018–19. Until an explicit position was articulated by the state authorities, it was anticipated that registrations would continue to be driven by precautionary motives and that preparation efforts by serving teachers would be intensified, even as questions about fairness, feasibility, and exam security were being raised across the school education ecosystem.