UP TET 2026: The UP TET exam, scheduled to be held after 3 years, has been postponed... 1.5 million candidates are waiting for the teacher eligibility test.

UP TET 2026: The Uttar Pradesh Education Service Selection Commission (UPESC) held a meeting last Tuesday. ​​In this meeting, chaired by the commission's new chairman, retired IAS officer Prashant Kumar, the decision was made to postpone the Uttar Pradesh Teacher Eligibility Test (UP TET) 2026. According to the calendar previously released by the commission, the UP TET was scheduled to be held on December 28 and 29, 2026, but new dates for the UP TET will be announced. It is believed that the UP TET 2026 may now be held in May, but this decision by the commission has increased the difficulties for more than 15 lakh candidates. These candidates have been waiting for the UP TET for the past four years. As a result, the candidates are worried about the 2026 teacher recruitment.

Let's understand what the whole matter is. When was the UP TET held previously? How many teacher recruitment positions are expected in Uttar Pradesh in 2026? We will also learn why it is being said that the delay in UP TET will disqualify many candidates from teacher recruitment.

TET is necessary for a job as a teacher
Of course, to become a teacher, courses like B.Ed. and D.El.After graduation and 12th grade, the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) is mandatory to become a teacher. TET is conducted at two levels. TET Paper 1 determines the eligibility of teachers who teach children in classes 1 to 5.  Teachers who pass TET Paper 2 teach students from classes 5 to 8.  Furthermore, due to two Supreme Court judgments, even teachers who have not passed the TET will now have to pass it. Special educators also need to pass the TET.

2000 Teacher Training Colleges in UP, lakhs of students pass every year
Before proceeding further with this story, let's talk about the teacher training colleges in UP and the number of students who pass out from them every year. According to an estimate, there are more than 2000 teacher training colleges in UP. These colleges offer B.Ed. and D.El.Ed courses. More than 1500 of these are private colleges. According to estimates, more than 200,000 students graduate from these colleges every year.

UP TET was held in January 2022
The TET exam in Uttar Pradesh has been long-awaited. Excluding December, it can be said that the UP TET has not been held for four years. In fact, the last UP TET was held in January 2022. Since then, the UP TET has not been conducted. The UP TET scheduled for January 28 and 29, 2026, has been postponed.

Postponement of UP TET increases the wait for 1.5 million candidates.
The postponement of UP TET 2026 has increased the difficulties for candidates. Their number is more than 1.5 million. In fact, more than 1.5 million candidates had applied for UP TET 2026. Many of these candidates had been waiting for the UP TET for the past three years. However, for UP TET 2021, whose exam was held in 2022, more than 2.2 million candidates had applied.

Teacher recruitment for over 22,000 posts in 2026 is causing concern among many candidates
The delay in UP TET 2026 has increased the anxiety of the candidates. In fact, 2026 is being called the year of recruitment in UP. More than 22,000 teacher vacancies are expected to be filled in Uttar Pradesh in 2026. Preparations for this have already begun. TET is mandatory to participate in the teacher recruitment application process. Therefore, if the TET is not conducted before the teacher recruitment process begins, these 1.5 million candidates will be excluded from the teacher recruitment.

On the other hand, if the TET is held earlier, candidates who completed their B.Ed this year will also be able to participate in the TET. This is causing concern among candidates about increased competition. Many candidates say that the TET is being held after four years. Therefore, many candidates will not be able to pass the TET in a single attempt. Many of them are also nearing the age limit for applying. In that case, they will be excluded from teacher recruitment.

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