Major teachers’ exam cancelled in UP as question paper surfaces on Whatsapp

A teachers’ entrance exam in Uttar Pradesh
was cancelled on Sunday as question papers surfaced on a WhatsApp group. Police have arrested several people for
their alleged involvement in the case, ANI reported. The exam will be held next month. Lakhs
of aspirants were slated to take the exam across the state today.

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The Uttar Pradesh Teacher Eligibility Test
(UPTET) is a state-level teacher eligibility test, which is conducted for
candidates who wish to be teachers in primary or upper primary schools in
state-board affiliated schools.

“Information has been received that
the UPTET exam paper has been leaked, thus the exam stands cancelled. In a
month’s time, the aspirants will be able to write the exam again at no extra
cost. An order has been issued to file an FIR in the matter and the
investigation has been handed over to the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force unit
so that the accused can be identified and strict action can be taken against
them,” said State Education Minister Satish Dwivedi at a press conference.

With Uttar Pradesh assembly elections scheduled for next year, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra
slammed the Yogi Adityanath government for the paper leak and alleged that
there has been corruption in the recruitment process.

“Corruption has become the identity of the
BJP government. Due to the paper leak of UPTET today, the hard work of lakhs of
youths has been ruined. Whenever the exam paper gets leaked Yogi Adityanath
government has saved the big fish involved in corruption,” Priyanka Gandhi
Vadra alleged in a tweet.

The students, however, were divided on how
this leak will affect their ambition to become teachers.

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“We just got to know that the exam has
been cancelled. Exam cancellation is disappointing, it affects the vacancies
available. But we are glad that we got to know about it in time,” said
Gaurav Sharma, an aspirant from Bulandshahr.

“They had just announced the exam
dates, now it has been extended again. It will take time. They have said a
month’s time but we do not know,” said another aspirant.