Written by Pallavi SmartMumbai | Updated: October 20, 2025 07:53 PM IST 4 min readThe TET is a mandatory eligibility criterion for appointment of teachers in schools from Classes 1 to 8, especially in all government-run and aided schools. (Source: File)Babasaheb Purandare (38) has been working as a school-teacher in Pune district since 2012. With over a decade of teaching experience, he is now preparing for the upcoming Teachers Eligibility Test (TET), scheduled to be held on November 23. He is among several in-service teachers who have applied for the TET this year in Maharashtra, contributing to a significant surge of around 32 per cent in the number of applications that have poured in for the exam this year.A total of 4.79 lakh candidates have registered for the TET this year. Even though there is no separate count for in-service teachers applying for TET, experts believe that this surge is the result of the uncertainty looming over in-service teachers who are staring at potential job-loss if the Supreme Court (SC) ruling in case of TET is implemented as it is in Maharashtra.The TET is a mandatory eligibility criterion for appointment of teachers in schools from Classes 1 to 8, especially in all government-run and aided schools. It was implemented in Maharashtra in 2013. According to the Supreme Court ruling, the TET mandate continues for new appointments. But it also states that teachers, who are already in service without TET, will now have to pass it within the next two years to continue their jobs or accept compulsory retirement.Confirming the increase in number of TET applicants this year, Anuradha Oak, Commissioner of the Maharashtra State Council of Examination, which conducts the exam, said, “We have not collected separate data of who are already in service. But compared to last year, there are at least 1.15 lakh more applicants this year.”Purandare, who has at least 20 years of service left, is representative of many such in-service teachers who have applied for TET 2025. Stating that he applied because he does not want to take any chance, Purandare said, “Even as there is no clarity as yet on TET’s retrospective mandate in Maharashtra, the state will eventually implement the SC ruling. I do not want to wait until then. Considering the difficulty level of the exam, I may require more than one attempt to clear the test, especially while juggling studies with a high-demanding teaching job at the government school where I work.”The retrospective implementation of the SC ruling has led to uncertainty and fear of potential job loss among lakhs of in-service teachers who have been appointed before implementation of the TET. According to them, the state had allowed them exemption from TET and now asking them to clear the exam will be an injustice. Further highlighting the review petition filed in the SC by the Uttar Pradesh government, teachers organisations in Maharashtra too are demanding similar steps from the state government.But, with no clear stand taken by the state government on this issue, there is confusion and panic among the school-teachers’ community.A 42-year-old teacher from a Zilla Parishad (ZP) school in Kolhapur, who has applied for TET, said, “I still have a considerable number of years of service ahead of me. It is better I do not wait until the last moment, especially with the consistent low pass-percentage of TET.”Story continues below this adSuresh Sawale, Joint Secretary of Spardha Pariksha Samanvay Samiti, an organisation of various competitive exam aspirants; said the passing percentage for TET has always remained between two to four percent.Raising further alarm, Sawale expressed concerns about an increased risk of fraud, scams, and other malpractices in TET 2025 — particularly given the surge in applicants eager to clear the exam as quickly as possible.“Until now, candidates appeared for the TET primarily to meet the mandatory eligibility requirement for applying to teaching positions. Even then, the exam has been marred with issues, most notably the fraud uncovered in the years 2018 and 2019. But the current situation is different — many candidates are now taking the TET to safeguard their existing jobs. This desperation could give rise to serious issues such as paper leaks, mass cheating, or other large-scale scams,” he warned.Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:mumbai news