The state government has issued new Kerala Teacher Eligibility Test (K-TET) guidelines for appointments and promotions in government and aided schools following recent Supreme Court judgments on the mandatory nature of teacher eligibility tests.
The decision comes in the backdrop of the Supreme Court’s August 7, 2023 judgment and subsequent September 1, 2025 decision in the writ petition and related civil appeals.
The government said it sought an explanation from the director of general education and looked into the matter in detail before issuing the revised norms.
LP, UP teachers
Under the new guidelines, candidates who have passed either K-TET Category I or Category II will continue to be eligible for appointment as Lower Primary (LP) and Upper Primary (UP) teachers.
However, those who have passed K-TET Category III will be considered for High School teaching posts only.
The government has also clarified that language teachers in secondary schools must have both K-TET category III and category IV qualifications.
A significant change was the earlier exemption from K-TET for candidates with higher qualifications such as SET, NET, MPhil, PhD or MEd. The government said that these candidates will now also have to go through the respective category of K-TET.
Only High School Teachers who have K-TET Category III qualification will be considered for promotion to Principal and for appointment as Senior Secondary School Teacher (HSST) and HSST (Junior).
The existing exemptions for Central Teacher Eligibility Test (CTET) candidates will continue. Those who have passed the CTET primary level will be eligible for appointment as LP teacher while candidates with CTET primary level qualification can be considered for UP teaching posts.
The government has stated that the existing procedures for promotion to the post of headmaster of a senior secondary school will remain unchanged.
Relevant qualification
In case of promotion to various teaching posts, only candidates who have relevant K-TET qualification of respective category will be considered.
Earlier, General Education Minister V Sivankutty had said the state would file a review petition or approach the Supreme Court seeking clarification on the judgment that made TET mandatory for all school teachers.
He pointed out that the Supreme Court reviewed the laws and rules made by the Union Government. Since education falls under the concurrent list of the Constitution, he said the Center should consider introducing new legislation to address the concerns raised by the verdict.
The state government has clarified that the newly issued guidelines will remain in force for the time being but will be subject to a final decision on a review pending in the Supreme Court.
Published – 02 Jan 2026 19:28 IST
