Kerala Government to Challenge K-TET Verdict in Supreme Court
- Jan. 31, 2026, 1:22 p.m.
The KL government has temporarily frozen its recent judgment on carrying out the Kerala Teachers’ Eligibility Test for promotions and appointments in aided and government schools, following concerns and strong protests from teachers appointed before 1.4.2010, who feared the new rules could put their jobs at risk.
V. Sivankutty, the General Education Minister, declared on Saturday (3.1.2026) that the order published on 1.1.2026 will stay on hold until further notice. He affirmed that the KL government will file a review petition in the SC, submitting that the court’s recent judgment on K-TET has created uncertainty for teachers throughout the state.
This conclusion follows two SC orders dated 7.8.2023 and 1.9.2025, which held that eligibility tests were compulsory for teacher appointments. The state published revised guidelines, and teachers’ organisations disliked, alerting that the changes could affect long-serving teachers negatively in response.
Sivankutty underlined that the government will protect teachers who joined service under the rules at the time of their appointment. “The teachers appointed before 2010 will not lose their jobs,” he mentioned, emphasising that imposing new conditions would not be good.
He stated that the Right to Education Act concentrates on developing school quality, and taking out expert teachers would weaken the learning model. He also mentioned that Kerala had soon attained top literacy levels and secure learning results before K-TET was launched in 2012. He also mentioned that treating 2010 teachers and 2012 recruits similarly offends Article 14, which assures equality before the court.
He stated that imposing the judgment without relevant changes could result in job losses and produce wider social backlashes as well. The government has declared that the next K-TET exam will be held in 2026 Feb for teachers who want to qualify under the qualification guidelines. The state will continue legal efforts to make sure that existing teachers stay protected.
Sivankutty advocated that teachers not get scared and said the government has started monitoring the preparations quickly for the review petition after the teachers' union and legal expert consultations. The government has earned time to evaluate the significance of the SC rulings and work toward a balanced result that preserves educational quality while assuring work security for long-serving teachers by freezing the judgment.
