AP Sports Quota Teacher Recruitment Closed, Exam Restored

Andhra Pradesh's application window for teacher posts under the sports quota closed on 31 May 2025, ending a drive that offered 421 teaching jobs without a written examination. The state's Sports Policy 2024-2029 had raised the sports quota, a horizontal reservation, from 2% to 3% and promoted recruitment under it without a competitive examination. The government earmarked around 400 posts for the quota in its DSC 2025 drive, and a notification in April 2025 listed 65 eligible sports.

By Career Ahead AI · India — AI-assisted, fact-verified against cited sources. Readers should verify key facts.

The offer: 421 posts, no written exam

The notification invited applications under a 3% quota for meritorious sportspersons on horizontal reservation without a written examination. Sportspersons under the quota were exempted from writing the DSC examination. However, candidates for School Assistant, Secondary Grade Teacher, and Trained Graduate Teacher posts still had to qualify in the AP Teacher Eligibility Test, while Physical Education Teachers did not need it.^¹²³

TET eligibility was not separately prescribed for Physical Education Teacher, School Assistant (Physical Education), Physical Director, PGT and Principal posts. The qualifying marks in TET are 60%, or 90 out of 150 marks, for OC/EWS candidates; 50% or 75 marks for BC candidates; and 40% or 60 marks for SC, ST, persons with benchmark disability and ex-servicemen candidates. In teacher recruitment, TET scores carry 20% weightage while the TRT written examination accounts for the remaining 80%.^¹²³⁴

Candidate scores illustrate the thresholds. Miriyala Gayatri Sai Sri of East Godavari district, an OC candidate, scored 97.8 marks in APTET-2024 Paper II-A against the required 90. Pragada Kalyani of Visakhapatnam, a BC-A candidate, secured exactly 75 marks in APTET-2018 Paper II-A. Ediga Prabhakar of Kurnool district secured 77 marks in TET Paper II-B in 2018, and Jampala Usha, a BC-A candidate, obtained 79 marks in January 2012, 80 in May 2012 and 76 in 2017.^³

TET eligibility was not separately prescribed for Physical Education Teacher, School Assistant (Physical Education), Physical Director, PGT and Principal posts.

370 posts filled, then the challenges

A tentative Sports Quota list was placed in the public domain from August 8 to 14, 2025. The final list was released in September 2025, filling around 370 of the earmarked teaching posts.^¹²³

Around 330 cases were filed in court over alleged irregularities in the recruitment process, approximately 70 of which were related to the sports quota. 69 writ petitions were filed before the Andhra Pradesh High Court in connection with the sports category. Charges concerned 21 Judo candidates from the same mandal, including allegations that seven belonged to one family.^¹²³

The court asked the Vigilance Department to conduct an inquiry into the disputed certificates and submit its findings. It also held that a Diploma in Elementary Education (D.El.Ed) was the qualification needed for the position.^³

Policy amended to bring back the exam

The government amended its Sports Policy 2024-2029 in May 2026 to reinstate the examination requirement for sportspersons applying under the quota. At a press conference on September 7, officials defended the selections, and Education Minister Nara Lokesh backed them, saying two women officers laid out the truth and defended the integrity of the DSC process.^¹²³⁴

K.S.S. Srinivas, general secretary of the United Teachers Front, Andhra Pradesh, said teaching requires subject understanding, and its effect is felt directly in student outcomes.^²³

What applicants should know now

Under central government norms, sports certificates must originate from authorised bodies such as the relevant National Federation or State Association for national competitions. Athletes are not required to compete on behalf of their native district and may represent the district where they are studying or employed. The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports allows provision for up to 5% reservation in Group C and Group D posts in Central government departments for eligible sportspersons.^¹²³

It also held that a Diploma in Elementary Education (D.El.Ed) was the qualification needed for the position.³

Plan for Sports‑Quota Teaching Paths

Because the sports quota now reinstates the written examination, aspiring sportsperson teachers must treat the recruitment like any other DSC drive. The court’s ruling that a Diploma in Elementary Education is the required qualification means you should enroll in a D.El.Ed program before applying. Preparing for the exam and securing the diploma will keep you eligible when the quota opens, avoiding the surprise of an exemption that no longer exists.^¹²³⁴

The central government’s provision of up to five percent reservation in Group C and Group D posts gives sportspersons another avenue beyond state teacher jobs. To take advantage of that, ensure your sports certificates come from an authorised national federation or state association, as required for eligibility. With valid certificates and the reservation in place, you can target central vacancies that match your sport, expanding career options while meeting the documented criteria.^¹²³