Srinagar, February 25, 2026 : Education Minister Sakina Itoo on Wednesday clarified that no fresh government order has been issued regarding the Teachers Eligibility Test (TET) in Jammu and Kashmir and that there is no immediate requirement to enforce it in the Union Territory.
Speaking to reporters, the minister said that while the Supreme Court of India has directed states and Union Territories to ensure teachers qualify TET, the J&K government is carefully examining how the directive is being implemented elsewhere before taking any decision.
She said the government has received the relevant case file and has decided to first study the pattern, mechanism and practical implications of TET in other states and UTs.
The minister pointed out that the concept of eligibility tests for teachers is not new in J&K and was earlier envisaged during the tenure of late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, when steps were initiated through the RET examination framework under former education minister Naeem Akhtar.
However, Itoo stressed that any hurried implementation would be inappropriate, especially considering that many teachers in J&K have put in 25 to 35 years of service and have played a key role in shaping professionals now serving as doctors, engineers, IAS, KAS officers and academicians.
She emphasised that any decision affecting such teachers must be taken with due sensitivity to ground realities and long-term consequences.
The minister also noted that the Supreme Court itself has provided a two-year window for implementation and that there is no urgency for immediate enforcement in Jammu and Kashmir.
“Confusion is being created through social media posts, but let me make it clear — no order has been issued by the government for immediate implementation of TET in J&K,” she said.
Itoo added that whenever the directive is uniformly enforced across the country or further directions are issued by the apex court, the J&K government will take a considered and informed decision.
