Dipta Joshi 

Commissioner of the Maharashtra State Council of Examinations (MSCE), Tukaram Supe, has been suspended for allegedly tampering with the results of the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) 2020. The TET exams are a prerequisite for candidates applying as teachers in the state’s primaries or secondaries. Earlier on Monday, the Pune police recovered unaccounted cash and gold ornaments amounting to Rs two crore from Supe’s kin’s residence. The police had already seized Rs 88 lakh from Supe’s residence last Saturday (December 18). Supe has been in Pune police’s custody since Friday (December 17) for his alleged involvement in the case.

The TET exam includes two papers (paper I for primary section and paper II for secondary section) making candidates eligible for employment in the state’s primaries or secondaries. Candidates need a minimum 60 percent marks to pass the exam. The TET 2020 exam held in January 2020 saw as many as 3,43,284 candidates appearing but just 16,592 qualifying in the interim results announced on August 5, 2020.   

Supe and his associates allegedly promised candidates success in the TET exam in exchange for cash with candidates being charged as much as Rs 35,000 to Rs one lakh. The modus operandi purportedly involved asking the candidate to leave the optical mark recognition (OMR) sheet (to be filled by the candidates during the exam) blank. The sheets would then be filled by Supe’s associates marking the right options before being forwarded to be scanned for assessment.

Tupe’s role in the TET 2020 malpractices came to light during police investigations into another paper leak scam involving officials, agents, coaching classes and the software firm involved in setting up the question papers for government exams. The state’s housing minister, Jitendra Awhad had to call off the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) recruitment examinations scheduled for Sunday, (December 19) as news of a possible paper leak spread just days before the scheduled date. The Pune police arrested three people, including an employee of the software firm, G. A Software involved in setting up the MHADA recruitment exam’s question papers before swooping in on Supe.  

While the state’s education department issued Supe’s suspension order on Monday (December 20), the state’s school education minister, Varsha Gaikwad ordered an inquiry following a meeting with department officials. “We won’t tolerate anyone playing with the future of children and teachers. Anyone found guilty of wrongdoing will be punished,” warned the minister in her tweet.

A six-member committee under the chairmanship of the additional chief secretary of education department will inquire into the TET 2020 results irregularities. The committee includes Vishal Solanki, Commissioner of education, the primary and secondary education directors, the director of state information and technology department and director, MSCE. The committee is expected to submit its report over the next 15 days. 

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