The second Teachers' Eligibility Test (TET), conducted across the state on Sunday by the Maharashtra State Council of Examination (MSCE) on Sunday, saw a sharp decline in the number of candidates taking the exam as against last year's.
MSCE commissioner Vasant Paymal said around 800 examination centres hosted the examinations, which according to preliminary numbers, witnessed around 10 cases of cheatings from across the state.
"We have received information about two cases of cheating from Beed centre, while six-to-seven cases were reported from Gondia centre. We are still collecting data and it will not be appropriate to comment on it now," he said.
A detailed review report of the exam has been asked to submit, he said.
According to Paymal, the test reported the minimum number of students in terms of appearance. "Around 4.14 lakh candidates appeared for the test on Sunday. The number is certainly low considering last year's over 6 lakh candidates who had had registered and around 5.91 lakh candidates who had taken the test," he told TOI.
From Kolhapur district, education department officials said, around 10,000 students appeared for the exam.
Last year, the district had witnessed over 18,000 candidates appearing for the exam.
The TET, which has been made mandatory for the recruitment as teacher, had attracted as many as 6 lakh applicants last year, when it was introduced for the first time.
Under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, the state government has made TET certificate compulsory for all schools, irrespective of their funding status, for the recruitment of the new teachers.
A TET certificate is valid for seven years. The MSCE has said that passing the test does not guarantee the employment rights in any of the institutes.
