Maharashtra teachers to shut schools tomorrow to protest TET rule, SIR work

Authorities have warned that salaries for the day will be cut if any schools remain shut.

3 min readPuneUpdated: Jul 8, 2026 05:19 PM IST

The protesters' main demand is relaxation of the Teacher Eligibility Test mandate for teachers who joined service before 2013. (Representational image)

Maharashtra State Primary Teacher’s Committee has announced that government and government-aided schools across the state will remain closed on July 9 as teachers go on mass leave to protest against the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) mandate, promotion and staffing approval policies, and their appointment as booth-level officers (BLOs) for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list.

The Teacher’s Union Coordination Committee, the Maharashtra State Primary Teacher’s Committee, the Maharashtra TET/CTET Qualified Teacher’s Action Committee, the Maharashtra State Private School Teacher’s Association, Shaikshanik Vyaspeeth, the Maharashtra State Secondary and Higher Secondary Headmasters Association, and other like-minded teacher unions support the protest.

Vijay Kombe, president of the committee, told The Indian Express that teachers from four neighbouring districts will protest at Mumbai’s Azad Maidan while other teachers will protest in their districts. “Thousands of teachers are expected to join the protest. However, heavy rain might affect these numbers,” he said.

‘Reduce TET passing marks to 40%’

The committee’s main demand is relaxation of the TET mandate for teachers who joined service before 2013, the year the state introduced the test. In 2025, the Supreme Court made the TET mandatory for all in-service teachers. Protesters demand that passing marks for in-service teachers be reduced to 60 out of 150 marks (40 per cent), or a “TET-equivalent eligibility test” should be conducted for them.

Another important objection is to the assignment of BLO work to teachers. In a letter, the association said, “The Election Commission’s clear directives state that teachers should be appointed as BLOs only if no other government employees are available in the village. Yet, at the local level, only primary teachers are assigned this task. The additional burden of BLO duties for SIR is causing mental and physical exhaustion among teachers.”

The demands also include an immediate halt to the staffing approval (sanchmanyata) policy and the promotion process initiated by Pune’s director of education for the posts of extension officer (education), cluster head (kendra pramukh), and headmaster.

In response to the protest call, Mahesh Palkar, Director of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education, wrote to divisional deputy directors and zilla parishad education officers that no school should remain shut on Thursday. If any school is shut, a day’s wage from the salaries of the principal, teachers, and non-teaching staff will be cut, Palkar added.

Soham Shah

Soham Shah is a Correspondent with The Indian Express, based in Pune. A journalism graduate with a background in fact-checking, he brings a meticulous and research-oriented approach to his current reporting. Professional Background Role: Correspondent coverig education and city affairs in Pune. Specialization: His primary beat is education, but he also maintains a strong focus on civic issues, public health, human rights, and state politics. Key Strength: Soham focuses on data-driven reporting on school and college education, government reports, and public infrastructure. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) His late 2025 work highlights a transition from education-centric reporting to hard-hitting investigative and human-rights stories: 1. Investigations & Governance "Express Impact: Mother's name now a must to download birth certificate from PMC site" (Dec 20, 2025): Reporting on a significant policy change by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) following his earlier reports on gender inclusivity in administrative documents. "44-Acre Mahar Land Controversy: In June, Pune official sought land eviction at Pawar son firm behest" (Nov 9, 2025): An investigative piece on real estate irregularities involving high-profile political families. 2. Education & Campus Life Faculty crisis at SPPU hits research, admin work: 62% of govt-sanctioned posts vacant, over 75% in many depts (Sept 12, 2025): An investigative piece on professor vacancies at Savitribai Phule Pune University. "Maharashtra’s controversial third language policy: Why National Curriculum Framework recommends a third language from Class 6" (July 2): This detailed piece unpacks reasons behind why the state's move to introduce a third language from class 1 was controversial. "Decline in number of schools, teachers in Maharashtra but student enrolment up: Report" (Jan 2025): Analyzing discrepancies in the state's education data despite rising student numbers. 3. Human Rights & Social Issues "Aanchal Mamidawar was brave after her family killed her boyfriend" (Dec 17, 2025): A deeply personal and hard-hitting opinion piece/column on the "crime of love" and honor killings in modern India. "'People disrespect the disabled': Meet the man who has become face of racist attacks on Indians" (Nov 29, 2025): A profile of a Pune resident with severe physical deformities who became the target of global online harassment, highlighting issues of disability and cyber-bullying. Signature Style Soham is known for his civil-liberties lens. His reporting frequently champions the rights of the marginalized—whether it's students fighting for campus democracy, victims of regressive social practices, or residents struggling with crumbling urban infrastructure (as seen in his "Breathless Pune" contributions). He is adept at linking hyper-local Pune issues to larger national conversations about law and liberty. X (Twitter): @SohamShah07 ... Read More

Click here to join Express Pune WhatsApp channel and get a curated list of our stories

Loading Recommendations...

Jul 13: Latest News

Live Blog