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Candidates who have passed K-TET Category I or Category II will remain eligible for appointment as Lower Primary and Upper Primary teachers.
General Education Minister V Sivankutty announced that the January 1, 2026 dated order will be frozen until further notice.(File Photo)
The Kerala government has suspended its previous order regarding the implementation of K-TET for appointments and promotions in government and aided schools. Candidates who have passed K-TET Category I or Category II will remain eligible for appointment as Lower Primary and Upper Primary teachers, reported PTI.
General Education Minister V Sivankutty announced that the January 1, 2026 dated order will be frozen until further notice. The government plans to file a review petition against a Supreme Court judgment on K-TET, which negatively impacts teachers who joined service before April 1, 2010.
The Left government had released new guidelines on K-TET in response to recent Supreme Court judgments. The decision followed judgments on August 7, 2023, and September 1, 2025.
The government sought clarification from the Director of General Education and thoroughly examined the issue before issuing revised norms. Sivankutty emphasised the government’s dedication to job security for teachers appointed under the recruitment rules at the time of their appointment.
He assured that no teacher appointed before 2010 would lose their job and stated that dismissing experienced teachers would weaken the education system. Sivankutty highlighted that Kerala had achieved high standards in education and literacy before K-TET was introduced in 2012.
Requiring teachers appointed before K-TET to acquire a qualification that didn’t exist at their appointment violates natural justice and Article 14 of the Constitution. Implementing such judgments retroactively would lead to job losses and serious economic and social consequences.
A notification has been issued to conduct the K-TET examination in February 2026 for those wishing to acquire the qualification. The government will take necessary legal steps to ensure no teacher appointed before 2010 loses their job.
“A notification has been issued to conduct the K-TET examination in February 2026 for those who wish to acquire the qualification. However, the government will undertake all necessary legal interventions to ensure that not even a single teacher appointed prior to 2010 loses their job,” Sivankutty said.
Teachers need not worry about these developments. Department officials have been instructed to expedite the filing of the review petition in the Supreme Court after consulting with teachers’ organisations and legal experts.
January 03, 2026, 17:57 IST
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