Mumbai: In a shocking turn of events, the Maharashtra State Examination Council (MSEC) has cancelled the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) scheduled for Sunday after parts of the question paper were allegedly leaked. The cancellation comes amidst a nationwide uproar over the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) paper leak.
School education minister Dada Bhuse announced that a fresh date for the exam would be announced after a proper probe and transparent investigation. He also hinted at considering an online model for the TET examination to prevent such incidents in the future.
The cancellation of the exam has sparked unrest among candidates, especially serving teachers under 55 years who must clear the TET by 2028 to remain in service as per the apex court's mandate. A total of 600,125 candidates had registered for this year's TET, out of which 258,061 registered for paper 1 and 342,064 registered for paper 2.
The Bhiwandi police have arrested three people in connection with the paper leak and are probing if others are involved in the case. Sources in the education department said the TET paper is generally printed outside Maharashtra and all three arrested accused were from outside the state.
Candidates and activists have demanded an overhaul of the examination system, calling for an online model to ensure transparency, security, and credibility. They have also urged the government to grant an extension to serving teacher-candidates whose deadline for clearing the exam is nearing expiration.
