CHENNAI: In the wake of alleged irregularities in inflating marks of certain candidates in the selection of lecturers for government polytechnic colleges, the Teachers Recruitment Board (TRB) decided to drop the ineligible candidates who made it to the selection list.
“We have uploaded the original OMR sheets and the marks of candidates after due verification, inviting response from the candidates in the TRB website. We are going to eliminate the ineligible candidates who adopted foul means to make it to the selection list,” a top official of the Department of School Education said on Wednesday. He said around 200 had got their marks inflated through unscrupulous means.
Claiming that it was for the first time that OMR sheets are being made available in public domain with a view to ensuring transparency after smelling a rat in the process of recruitment, the official said the candidates can verify their marks and that of others as well before coming out with representations.
“It is a well thought out, conscious step to release the OMR sheet in public domain to invite representations from the candidates who have appeared for the recruitment test,” he said.
Out of 1,70,363 who had applied, 1,33,567 candidates appeared for the test held on September 16 this year for filling 1,058 lecturers’ vacancies in polytechnic colleges. The results were published on November 7. Subsequently 2,110 successful candidates were called for certificate verification, which was held for five non-engineering subjects on November 23, 24 and 25.
Certificate verification for engineering subjects has been deferred after the irregularities were unearthed following complaints from certain candidates. After uploading the OMR sheets of 1,33, 567 candidates in the TRB website on Monday, 20,000 persons accessed the OMR sheets and 10,000 have downloaded the sheets till Wednesday.
“We will receive complaints and representations from the candidates till December 18. Those who rigged their score will be called for one-to-one inquiry,” the official said.
Seeking to affirm that the rot will be stemmed to prevent such irregularities in future, he said a deep probe to get to the bottom of the issue will be held and the guilty will not be spared. Safety mechanism to insulate the selection process from being manipulated will also be strengthened.
‘Arrest those involved’
Chennai: Demanding a thorough probe into the scam, Pattali Makkal Katchi founder S Ramadoss on Wednesday said all those responsible must be arrested immediately. He also demanded that all appointments made by the Teachers Recruitment Board during the last 10 years must be reviewed. ENS