Mumbai, Jan. 21 -- Teachers seeking a promotion in government schools will now have to clear the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET), clarified the school education department, ending the uncertainty around promotion rules. The department stated that only teachers who have passed the TET along with other required qualifications will be eligible for promotions. The clarification follows a recent Supreme Court ruling which made the TET compulsory not only for new candidates entering the teaching profession but also for teachers who want to continue teaching and seek promotions. Earlier, teachers who had five years or less remaining before retirement were exempt from passing the TET to continue teaching. However, the department has made it clear that this exemption will not apply in the case of promotions. Even teachers nearing retirement will have to qualify the TET if they wish to be promoted. The state government has provided teachers with a two-year window to clear the TET, up to November 2027. Teachers are expected to pass the examination within this period to become eligible for promotions. Mahendra Ganpule, former vice-president of the state principals association, said, "The state should consider TET qualification for promotions only after the two-year period ends." He said giving priority to teachers who have already passed TET for promotion before this deadline, while ignoring senior teachers, would be unfair to others and would amount to injustice....