Archive · 25 Aug 2026
MP Teachers Boycott TET Amid Eligibility and Syllabus Confusion
Teachers in Madhya Pradesh are being asked to take a test called TET.
The test helps decide whether teachers have the required qualification to teach.
Many serving teachers are unsure whether they must take it or are already exempt.
Their organisations have asked teachers not to submit the forms for now.
They also object to the syllabus, online format, fees, travel and leave arrangements.
The state government is asking for special relief for about 70,000 teachers hired between 2005 and 2009.
Officials said they would discuss the concerns and seek a legally valid solution.
Teachers also planned to protest in Delhi.
No in-service teacher had reportedly submitted an MP TET application one week after forms opened.
Teacher organisations called for a boycott until eligibility, syllabus, fees and examination arrangements are clarified.
The dispute follows a Supreme Court ruling requiring in-service teachers to obtain TET qualification under the RTE framework.
The Madhya Pradesh government is seeking relief for about 70,000 teachers appointed between 2005 and 2009.
Teachers planned a Delhi protest on August 30, while the application deadline was September 4.
- Who
- In-service teachers, teacher organisations, the Madhya Pradesh government, the School Education Department and the Supreme Court are involved.
- What
- Teachers are boycotting applications for the Madhya Pradesh Teachers Eligibility Test because of uncertainty over eligibility and objections to the examination’s format, syllabus and arrangements.
- When
- The application process had been open for one week; the application deadline was September 4, and teachers were asked to prepare for a Delhi protest on August 30. The article also refers to a Supreme Court ruling in September 2025 and review decisions in May 2026.
- Where
- Madhya Pradesh, with a planned protest in Delhi.
- Why
- Teachers want clear rules on who must take TET, recognition of earlier examinations, and changes or support relating to the syllabus, fees, examination centres, leave, travel and scribes.
Teacher Organisations
Government and Officials
Whether to submit applications
Teacher Organisations
Teacher organisations called for a boycott until eligibility and other concerns are resolved, and said teachers had not filed forms.
Government and Officials
The examination application process is underway, with September 4 reported as the last date to apply.
Eligibility rules
Teacher Organisations
Teachers want clarity on whether existing teachers, those who already passed TET or CTET, and teachers appointed through recruitment schemes between 1988 and 1998 must take the examination.
Government and Officials
The government is seeking relief for about 70,000 teachers appointed between 2005 and 2009, arguing that examinations held in 2005 and 2008 should count as equivalent to TET.
Syllabus and examination arrangements
Teacher Organisations
Teachers objected to the difficulty level and raised concerns about the syllabus, online testing, fees, leave, travel allowance, examination centres and scribes.
Government and Officials
The government rejected the request to change the TET subjects and syllabus, while officials said concerns about examination centres and other demands would be conveyed or discussed.
- Application deadline
- September 4
- Reported applications
- No in-service teacher had reportedly filed a form one week after applications opened.
- Teachers seeking relief
- Around 70,000 teachers appointed between 2005 and 2009.
- Earlier examinations cited
- Eligibility examinations conducted in 2005 and 2008.
- Varg-3 examination
- A 150-question paper covering Child Development and Pedagogy, two languages, Mathematics and Environmental Studies.
- Varg-2 examination
- A 150-question paper including languages, general knowledge/current affairs/reasoning and numerical ability, pedagogy, and subject questions based on graduation.
- Government position
- The state said it would await the court’s decision on eligibility for teachers who cleared examinations in 2005 and 2008; requests to change the TET subjects and syllabus were rejected.