JAIPUR: Rajasthan heaved a huge sigh of relief as the high-profile Rajasthan Eligibility Examination for Teacher (REET) passed off without any serious mishaps on Sunday. With 70 thousand policemen on duty and internet services snapped in most parts of the state to counter cheating threats, organising the REET exam had become a huge challenge for the Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government.
Though there were a few minor reports of cheating incidents, over 16 lakh candidates have been able to successfully take the REET exam for the recruitment of 31,000 teachers in government schools of the state.
This crucial exam has been postponed five times in the past and organising it successfully has become a logistical and administrative challenge in the state. Apart from police staff, over 5,500 home guards and 50 companies of RAC, MBC, SDRF and other armed forces were deployed to prevent any mishaps.
The first shift of the REET, held in two shifts, started at 10.00 am in and lasted till 12.30 pm. Heavy police forces were deployed at Examination centers. Before entering the centers, the temperature for each candidate was checked under Corona guidelines and entry was given only after all candidates were given new masks. During this process, a close watch was kept on all the candidates so that no one could go get inside with any kind of copying or cheating materials.
CCTV cameras were installed at most of the Examination Centers to prevent cheating and a strict vigil was kept at all centers. Tight security was especially maintained at examination centers of Barmer, Sawai Madhopur, Karauli, Dausa, Nagaur, Sikar, Bharatpur, Jhunjhunu and Jalore which have seen major cheating rackets in the past. In many districts, including the state capital Jaipur, mobile internet services were stopped from around 7.00 am to 5.00 pm.
Mobile internet services, bulk SMS/MMS, and other social media by Internet Service Providers remained suspended in several districts of Rajasthan during the entire course of the REET exam on Sunday.
For the convenience of the examinees, thousands of buses were operated free of cost by the Gehlot government by acquiring private buses apart from roadways buses. Also, temporary bus stands were arranged in all districts to avoid crowding together in the city. Free travel arrangements were made for candidates in Jaipur even in the metro train and all buses on Sunday. In addition, arrangements were made for free food for the candidates and their parents at hundreds of Indira Rasoi canteens in the state.
Given the tight security arrangements, there are no reports of any major cheating scandals in the biggest ever Teacher Eligibility Test in Rajasthan. However, in Bikaner, four persons including three REET candidates were arrested before the exam as they were found wearing slippers with bluetooth devices. Bikaner Superintendent of Police Priti Chandra said the bluetooth devices were hidden in the slippers to facilitate cheating.
The five arrested include three candidates and two other persons who were there to help them cheat in the paper. All the five were caught from the Naya bus stand in Gangashahar area before the exam started and are being interrogated by the police.
The REET exam was conducted after a gap of almost three years in the state. Over 16 lakh candidates were slated to appear in the examination in over 4,000 exam centres. In Jaipur district alone, more than 2.5 lakh candidates took the REET which is being called the biggest competitive examination in the history of the state.