Haryana Teacher Eligibility Test cancelled over paper leak

The Haryana Teachers Eligibility Test (HTET) Level 3 (PGT) examination which was scheduled to be held on November 14 and November 15 was cancelled due to a suspected leak of the question paper on November 14. A total of seven people has been nabbed from Rohtak in alleged connection with the leak of the question paper. A special investigation team is probing the matter and more suspects are likely to appear.

According to Press Trust of India, a total of 4.61 lakh students including 1.44 lakh for JBT, 1.81 lakh for TGT and 1.37 lakh for PGT in the state went to the examination centre on November 14. The Secretary of Haryana School Education Board, Bhiwani, Pankaj Kumar had earlier said that the information was received through the Jind district administration. It revealed that the documents related to the question paper were recovered from an external person while the examination was going on.

He said that during the investigation of this information at the Board headquarters at Bhiwani, it was prima facie established that the question paper of the level 3 examination was available with a person in an unauthorised manner before the prescribed time (of exam).

Pointing out at the BJP government, senior Congress leader and former Haryana Minister, Randeep Singh Surjewala said, "Paper gets leaked in Haryana, putting not just thousands of candidates, but also their parents and others who accompany them to the exam centres, to great inconvenience. It also affects the students who have studied for hours on end. Is the government competent to hold these examinations or not? If not, then they should publicly declare their inability to do so."

While another Congress' Haryana unit legislature party leader, Kiran Choudhary said that the paper leak incident has brought to fore the "incompetence" of the government. She said that the incident reflects that the Khattar government has failed to plan in advance for holding an examination in a free and fair manner.

Senior INLD leader and Leader of opposition in Haryana Assembly, Abhay Singh Chautala also criticised the state government for its alleged inability to put a foolproof system in place so that such incidents are avoided.

At present, Haryana's Education Minister, Ram Bilas Sharma is on a visit to China. Haryana's Chief Minister, Manohar Lal Khattar had recently directed all the Deputy Commissioners in the state to make adequate arrangements to ensure a free, fair and peaceful conduct of HTET-2015.

PTI