By News18,Sameeksha Sharma

Copyright news18

The Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) was introduced by the National Council for Teacher Education in 2011 to assess the qualifications of teachers. Since then, recruitment for Classes 1 to 8 has been based on this exam. (News18 Tamil)
In Tamil Nadu, the TET has been conducted since 2012. Recently, the Supreme Court ruled that teachers of Classes 1 to 8 in non-minority schools must clear the TET within two years. The court further clarified that this requirement also applies to teachers appointed before the TET mandate was introduced in 2011. (News18 Tamil)
Before this verdict, the Tamil Nadu government had already issued the TET notification for 2025, setting September 8 as the last date for applications. Following the court’s order, the deadline was extended to September 10 as many candidates were yet to apply. (News18 Tamil)
On September 10, the application process closed, with a total of 4,80,123 submissions received across Tamil Nadu. The first paper of the TET will be held on November 15, followed by the second paper on November 16. (News18 Tamil)
Among the applicants are thousands of teachers already serving in government schools. Normally, government employees are required to obtain a departmental no-objection certificate (NOC) to appear in competitive exams for higher studies or other job opportunities. (News18 Tamil)
However, district education offices reported a large number of requests from teachers seeking NOCs to sit for the TET, as many believed official permission was required. (News18 Tamil)
Officials from the Tamil Nadu School Education Department have clarified that serving teachers do not require a no-objection certificate to appear for the TET. Instructions have been issued to primary education offices to ensure this information is communicated to all teachers. (News18 Tamil)