The Kerala government has decided to allow daily salary arrears till October 31, 2025 to teachers who were appointed before September 1 of that year and have qualifications similar to the Kerala Teacher Eligibility Test (K-TET) such as State Eligibility Test (SET), National Eligibility Test (NET), MEd, MPhil and PhD, General Education Minister V. Sivankutty said
At a press conference in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday, the minister said that permission has been given to examine separately each case where daily wages were not allowed on the grounds that the teachers concerned were not K-TET qualified.
In this regard, the Department of General Education has issued an order to clarify disputes related to K-TET qualification, following the Supreme Court’s order to make K-TET compulsory for teachers.
The order also provides relaxation of eligibility criteria. Teachers who passed K-TET category III (for high school classes) were exempted from dismissal of K-TET category II (for upper elementary school classes). The provisions regarding this in the circular dated March 9, 2018 will continue to apply.
The minister said the decision is subject to a decision on a review petition submitted by the government to the Supreme Court. He emphasized that the government is committed to improving the salary and working conditions of teachers and providing them with the rightful benefits by removing legal obstacles.
According to the Supreme Court’s September 1, 2025 judgment, teachers with less than five years of service left can continue till retirement without passing the K-TET. However, K-TET was required for promotion. Those who have remained in the service for more than five years must pass the K-TET within two years of the date of judgment to remain in the service. Otherwise, they could quit or be compulsorily retired with terminal benefits.
Published – 02 March 2026 20:01 IST
