Examinees Up In Arms Again Over ‘OTET Exam Paper Errors’

Cuttack: Hundreds of candidates on Monday intensified their protest in front of the Board of Secondary Education (BSE) office here alleging multiple errors in the question papers of Odisha Teacher Eligibility Test (OTET) examination.

This is the second time in just five days the teaching aspirants are agitating in front of the BSE office over the issue. Earlier, on October 10, the examinees had demonstrated in front of the board office over their demands. The activists of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) also joined the protest with the aggrieved candidates.

The candidates alleged that there have been massive errors in the answer key released by the board on October 5. Moreover, they also raised questions on the timing of the release of the key during Durga Puja vacation.

The agitators demanded re-evaluation of the question papers and a rollback of decision of collecting Rs 500 as fee for revaluation.

Alleging exam paper setters of intentionally making blunders in questions, an agitating candidate said, “Are all those working in the board office or setting the question papers, the mass education minister and secretary are illiterates? Do they not know who the 26th Governor of Odisha was? They are making all these silly mistakes and when we challenge it, they are asking us to pay fees for re-evaluation,” alleged an.

“We want justice and that too at the earliest. This apart we also demand provision of simultaneous OTET examination across the State like Central Teacher Eligibility Test (CTET),” he added.