YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has demanded TET exemption for teachers recruited before 2011, arguing that experienced educators who cleared earlier competitive recruitment exams should not face retrospective eligibility rules.

Jagan demands TET exemption for senior Andhra Pradesh teachers

Former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and YSR Congress Party president Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has demanded relief for senior teachers affected by the Teacher Eligibility Test requirement, arguing that educators recruited before the introduction of TET should not be forced to clear the examination after serving in schools for many years.

Jagan raised the issue through a social media post on Wednesday, saying that more than one lakh teachers were facing difficulties because of the TET requirement. He questioned the fairness of asking teachers with 20 to 25 years of experience to appear for an eligibility examination covering multiple subjects and meet the prescribed qualifying criteria.

The former chief minister argued that many of the affected teachers entered service after clearing the competitive recruitment examinations required at the time of their appointment. He said TET did not exist as a recruitment requirement when these senior teachers entered service and questioned whether a later qualification condition should affect their promotions and job security.

Jagan questions retrospective application of TET rule

Jagan said senior teachers who have already spent decades in classrooms should not be placed under fresh uncertainty because of eligibility requirements introduced after their recruitment. He argued that these teachers had already demonstrated their merit through the selection process applicable when they were appointed and had continued educating students for years. According to reports on his statement, Jagan focused particularly on teachers who were already in service before the TET framework came into effect. He questioned the logic of asking experienced subject teachers to prepare for an examination covering a wider syllabus after 20 or 25 years of teaching service.

The issue has become significant because affected teachers have raised concerns that compulsory TET qualification could create obstacles to promotions and lead to uncertainty over continued service. Jagan said these concerns deserved serious attention from the state government rather than being ignored. Andhra Pradesh’s TET framework is linked to teacher qualification norms under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act and National Council for Teacher Education requirements. The state’s 2026 APTET notification states that TET qualification is an essential requirement for teacher appointments covered by the relevant provisions and refers to NCTE minimum qualification rules.

Promotion and job security concerns raised

Jagan said the immediate concern was not limited to passing another examination. According to him, the TET requirement was affecting the career progression of long-serving teachers and creating fear about their job security. He argued that teachers who had successfully cleared competitive recruitment examinations such as those applicable during their appointment period had already proved their eligibility under the system then in force. Asking them to meet another qualification many years later, he said, was unfair.

Reports covering Jagan’s statement said he claimed more than one lakh teachers could be affected by the issue. He called on the government to address the anxiety faced by senior teachers instead of allowing uncertainty over promotions and service conditions to continue. The debate also involves an important distinction between teachers appointed before and after the introduction of TET requirements. Some reports on Jagan’s demand refer specifically to teachers already serving before 2011, while the Deccan Chronicle report’s headline describes the demand as concerning teachers recruited in 2011. Jagan’s reported social media statement, however, refers to teachers working since before 2011.

Jagan asks AP government to pressure Centre

Jagan demanded that the Andhra Pradesh government take up the issue with the Union government and seek exemption for senior teachers who entered service before the TET requirement became applicable to them. According to reports on his statement, he also called for the state government to pursue a formal resolution and seek changes or relief at the central level. His argument is that teachers recruited under earlier rules should not suffer career consequences because of a qualification introduced later.

The former chief minister said the government must recognise the experience and past recruitment credentials of the affected teachers. He maintained that decades of teaching service, combined with successful completion of the recruitment examinations in force at the time, should be considered while deciding whether these teachers need to clear TET.

The demand has brought the concerns of senior teachers into the political spotlight in Andhra Pradesh. With promotions and job security among the issues being raised, pressure is likely to grow on the state government to clarify its position and explain whether it will seek any exemption or special relief for teachers who entered service before TET became part of the eligibility framework. For now, Jagan has positioned the issue as one of fairness to experienced teachers, calling on both the Andhra Pradesh government and the Centre to provide what he described as long-pending relief to those affected by the TET requirement.