MahaTET leak revives demand to scrap TET for in-service staff, teachers & politicians condemn repeated leaks, demand accountability to restore students’ trust

Pune: Several teachers on Saturday came down heavily on the Maharashtra State Examination Council after it postponed Sunday’s TET exam over a suspected paper leak, saying it had learned nothing from the 2018 and 2020 controversies involving alleged result manipulation and tampering that even led to the arrest of the council’s commissioner and other senior officials.“It appears that the council has learnt nothing from those incidents. Teachers, already burdened with non-academic responsibilities, had prepared extensively for the examination while juggling family commitments and health concerns, many of them being in their forties and fifties,” Bhausaheb Chaskar, a zilla parishad school teacher and state coordinator of the Active Teachers’ Forum, said.He said anticipating possible transport disruptions and traffic delays, several candidates had taken leave on Saturday morning and begun travelling early to their assigned examination centres.

“Many had mentally prepared for both the morning and afternoon papers, only to be left shocked by reports of the alleged paper leak while they were still on their way,” Chaskar said.In the aftermath, multiple teacher associations renewed their demand to abolish the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) requirement for in-service teachers. Vijay Kombe, state president of the Maharashtra State Primary Teachers’ Forum, said the examination should not be conducted again without a complete overhaul of its process.

“This exam has witnessed repeated leaks in one form or another. TET should not be made mandatory for promotions.

Since govt has failed to conduct it properly and on time, the law must be amended to exempt serving teachers,” Kombe said.The suspected paper leak has triggered outrage beyond academic circles, sparking a political storm as well. Leader of opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi took to X and described the incident as not merely a leak but a “theft of the future of youth,” alleging that the country’s examination system has turned into one of extortion, leaving students feeling insecure.Deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde termed the incident a serious organised crime and said stringent action would be taken. He said invoking the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) against the key conspirators would be discussed with CM Devendra Fadnavis.Interestingly, youth wings from both

BJP

and

Congress

attacked govt over the suspected leak. Akshay Jain, chairman of the media department of the Maharashtra Pradesh Youth Congress, said the administration appeared to be “growing accustomed to paper leaks”, and announced a protest at the Maharashtra State Council of Examination office.Meanwhile, Atharva Kulkarni, state secretary of

ABVP

, called the repeated leaks a reflection of systemic failure. “Examinations that shape students’ futures form the backbone of any education system. If that foundation keeps collapsing, govt and agencies concerned must accept responsibility,” he said, urging authorities to move beyond assurances and implement concrete, long-term reforms to restore trust among students. “Without meaningful changes, resentment among students will only continue to grow,” he added.