UP Teacher Recruitment Exam Faces Fifth Postponement
The hopes of thousands of teacher aspirants in Uttar Pradesh were dashed once again as the Trained Graduate Teacher (TGT) written examination faced another last-minute postponement. The examination, scheduled to begin on November 18, was called off on the very day it was supposed to commence, marking the fifth such delay in the recruitment process.
Leadership Vacuum Blamed for Repeated Delays
The Uttar Pradesh Education Service Selection Commission has been operating without a regular chairperson since September, when Professor Kirti Pandey resigned a year into her three-year tenure. Currently, Ram Suchit serves as the officiating chairperson, but the absence of permanent leadership has significantly hampered the commission's functioning according to officials speaking anonymously.
The commission uploaded a notice by its deputy secretary on November 18, informing candidates that the written exam scheduled for November 18 and 19 had been postponed indefinitely. The notice provided no explanation for the delay nor any indication of when revised dates might be announced.
Growing Frustration Among Aspirants
Prashant Pandey, president of the Pratiyogi Chhatra Sangarsh Samiti, revealed that the TGT exam aims to fill approximately 3,000 teaching posts, while the similarly delayed Post Graduate Teacher (PGT) examination seeks to fill around 2,000 positions. Both examinations have now been postponed four times each, with no revised dates in sight.
The cumulative impact affects nearly 13 lakh candidates who applied for both examinations. Amrendra Kumar, a 28-year-old aspirant from Prayagraj, expressed the collective frustration: "With every postponement, our motivation drops. It's mentally exhausting to maintain preparation levels when exam dates keep changing."
Political Reactions and Student Action
The opposition parties have strongly criticized the ruling government over the repeated delays. Samajwadi Party spokesperson Rajendra Chaudhary termed the situation as "harassment and insult" of aspirants, while Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajai Rai accused the government of "ruining the careers" of young candidates.
In response to the ongoing uncertainty, the Pratiyogi Chhatra Sangarsh Samiti is planning to write a formal letter to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, highlighting the commission's "excessively casual manner" in handling recruitment processes and raising students' concerns directly with the state leadership.
The repeated postponements come despite the government's crackdown on paper leaks, which have been a major reason for recruitment exam delays across states. The last major recruitment examination in Uttar Pradesh was held in March for police constable positions, where nearly 40 lakh applicants competed for 60,000 vacancies.
