Archive · 4 Oct 2026
Madhya Pradesh Teachers Protest Mandatory TET and Demand Old Pension
Teachers from different parts of Madhya Pradesh met in Bhopal on Sunday to protest.
They objected to having to take a Teacher Eligibility Test.
They also asked the government to bring back the Old Pension Scheme for teachers and employees.
Protest leader Bharat Bhargava said teachers hired from 1998 had been selected using their teaching qualifications.
He questioned whether older teachers should now have to take the test.
Bhargava also said some pay-scale benefits and service records were missing or delayed.
He said his own 28 years of work showed as only eight years on government portals.
Another teacher, Sitaram Raikwar, performed a symbolic penance during the protest.
Teachers from across Madhya Pradesh gathered at Ambedkar Park in Bhopal on Sunday.
They protested the mandatory Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) and sought restoration of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS).
Bharat Bhargava said many teachers hired from 1998 onward had already been selected based on DEd and BEd qualifications.
Bhargava alleged that pay-scale arrears and incomplete service records had harmed teachers; he said his 28 years of service appeared as eight on official portals.
Teacher Sitaram Raikwar, who came from Raisen, staged a symbolic penance amid cowdung-cake smoke.
- Who
- Teachers from across Madhya Pradesh, including protest leader Bharat Bhargava and teacher Sitaram Raikwar.
- What
- They protested the mandatory Teacher Eligibility Test and demanded restoration of the Old Pension Scheme.
- When
- Sunday; the article does not specify a date.
- Where
- Ambedkar Park, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.
- Why
- They opposed the TET mandate and sought the Old Pension Scheme; Bhargava also raised concerns about pay-scale benefits and service records.
Teachers’ demands
Government position
Mandatory Teacher Eligibility Test
Teachers’ demands
Protesting teachers opposed the mandate. Bharat Bhargava argued that teachers hired from 1998 onward had been selected based on DEd and BEd qualifications, and questioned testing older teachers.
Government position
The article does not report the government’s response or explain its position on the mandate.
Old Pension Scheme
Teachers’ demands
Teachers demanded restoration of the scheme and questioned why retirement benefits differed from those received by MPs and MLAs, as described by Bhargava.
Government position
The article does not provide the government’s explanation for withholding the scheme.
- Protest location
- Ambedkar Park, Bhopal
- Protest day
- Sunday; no calendar date stated
- Main demands
- Opposition to mandatory TET and restoration of the Old Pension Scheme
- Teachers cited as recruited from
- 1998 onward
- Bhargava's stated service
- 28 years since appointment in 1998, which he said appeared as eight years on official portals
- Pay-scale concerns raised
- Bhargava said 10 years of the 6th Pay Scale and two-and-a-half years of the 7th Pay Scale had been withheld
- Symbolic protest
- Sitaram Raikwar performed a symbolic penance amid cowdung-cake smoke