Maharashtra TET scam: What is it? Why is in the news again?

The Maharashtra Teachers’ Eligiblity Test (TET) scam is back in the news again.

This, after the names of three daughters and the son of a breakaway Shiv Sena legislator appeared in the list of the 7,880 candidates who were disqualified and banned in connection with the alleged rigging.

While members of Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena faction demanded an inquiry, legislator Abdul Sattar questioned the timing of the list and alleged a conspiracy.

The development comes after the Maharashtra State Council of Examinations (MSCE) last Wednesday said it had disqualified 7,880 candidates for their involvement in the manipulation and tampering of marks in the 2019-2020 TET.

While 7,500 of the 7,880 candidates allegedly tampered with the results in the exchange for money to show themselves “eligible” in the results of the final exam, 293 candidates secured forged/fake certificates projecting themselves as eligible candidates after the final results.

But what is the Maharashtra TET scam? Let’s take a look back

What is TET?

But first, let’s look at the TET.

As per Indian Express, TET is a mandatory qualification criteria for teachers’ recruitment under the Right to Education (RTE) Act.

The Act was implemented in Maharashtra from 2013 – the same year when TET was made mandatory for all teachers’ appointments in the state from Classes I to VIII.

While those wanting to apply for teaching jobs for Classes I to V have to clear paper I of the TET, those wanting to apply to reach Classes V to VIII need to clear paper II.

A candidate has to score at least 60 per cent to clear the TET.

The pass percentage recorded is usually much less than 10 per cent, as per the report.

How did it come to light? What happened next?

As per Outlook, the alleged malpractice in the November 2020 TET came to the light during the investigation of paper leak in the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) examination in which six people were arrested.

Pune Police uncovered during the investigation that the marks of over 7,800 candidates were fraudulently changed or tampered with in the 2019-2020 TET.

IAS officer Sushil Khodwekar, Tukaram Supe, Commissioner (now suspended) of the Maharashtra State Council of Examinations (MSCE), Pritesh Deshmukh, director of G A Software, the firm which was responsible for conducting the exam, and Abhishek Sawrikar, a consultant with the education department, were all arrested.

As per Hindustan Times, Supe, who was accused of taking bribes and helping the applicants pass the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET), was granted bail in May.

The Pune police cyber cell had submitted a 3995-page chargesheet against 15 people including Supe. During the raid at Supe’s residence, police had seized ₹2 crore cash and gold jewellery, as per the report.

Police inspector Kumar Ghadge of Cyber police station said in January that over Rs 4 crore in cash, gold ornaments and other documents related to the fixed deposits have been recovered in the case.

Opposition slams Sattar, Maharashtra govt

Taking a dig before the Cabinet expansion, senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan had said Sattar could perhaps be made the state’s education minister.

Shiv Sena MLC Ambadas Danve had demanded an inquiry into Sattar.

“The then chief minister Shivajirao Patil Nilangekar had resigned from his post when a matter on similar lines came to light. But now people like Sattar are lobbying for big portfolios. Maharashtra Chief Minister (Eknath Shinde) is encouraging people like Sattar,” Danve had said prior to the swearing-in.

“This is a serious issue and the role of Abdul Sattar should be checked in the TET scam,” he told PTI in Aurangabad.

Chandrakant Khaire, a former Aurangabad MP and the Thackeray loyalist said if Sattar is not guilty then he should remain silent.

“Sattar is our old friend. The government should conduct an inquiry into this case and dig out the truth” he told reporters.

“When there is such instability in the government, no one has time to take cognisance of such scams. Other issues are kept on the back burner and the focus is on who is going to be a minister and what portfolio he will get,” Chavan told reporters as he slammed the Shinde-Fadnavis government.

The former chief minister said the tradition of good administration is coming to end in Maharashtra.

The Pune city unit of the Nationalist Congress Party staged a protest and sarcastically demanded that Sattar be made the education minister.

With inputs from agencies

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