The Tamil Nadu Graduate Teachers Federation (TNGTF) has urged the School Education Department to relax qualification marks by an additional 5% in the special Teacher Eligibility Test examination. In a petition to the department, the federation said, “Special marks should be given in the examination according to the teachers’ work experience and higher educational qualifications.”In September 2025, the Supreme Court ruled that all teachers, except those with less than five years of service, must clear TET to continue in their jobs, with no exceptions even for promotions. In May 2026, the apex court had extended the timeline for acquiring TET qualification by a year.Pointing out that over 60% of the questions were asked from Classes IX, X, XI, and XII in the recently held exam, the federation said that it had caused distress to the teachers. “In the future, the question paper design should be changed so that more questions are asked in the subject related to teachers,” said P. Patrick Raymond, general secretary, TNGTF.They also urged the government to follow Kerala’s model, where teachers who have completed NET, SET, and M. Phil, have been exempted from the qualifying examination. Published - July 09, 2026 12:19 am IST