The Andhra Pradesh government has issued an order permitting the conduct of a Special Teacher Eligibility Test (TET), exclusively for in-service teachers who were appointed prior to 2011.

The decision has been taken in response to the judgment of the Supreme Court in Civil Appeal No. 1385 of 2025, dated September 1, 2025, which mandates that in-service teachers recruited before the enactment of the Right to Education (RTE) Act and who have more than five years of services left as of September 1, 2025, must qualify the TET within a specified period.

At first, the Supreme Court had said the in-service teachers should take the test within two years from September 1, 2025.

Considering practical difficulties expressed by various States in following the order, the Supreme Court extended the date of compliance to three years, that is August 31, 2028.

In a memo dated June 25, 2026, the State government approved the conduct of the special TETs for in-service teachers recruited before 2011. The Director of School Education has been directed to organise these special tests and ensure that all the eligible teachers have an opportunity to take the test and obtain the qualification before the deadline.