Published Jul 03, 2026 | 8:45 PM ⚊ Updated Jul 03, 2026 | 8:45 PM
As many as 42,064 candidates appeared for the test, which included a 150-mark objective section and a 50-mark essay part.
Synopsis: Even as thousands of candidates demand answers for the ‘irregularities’ in Paper-2 evaluation, the Teachers Recruitment Board’s latest clarification focuses only on clerical errors in applications. Despite the controversy gaining steam, the TVK-led government is, so far, silent on the issue.
Even as the controversy over the alleged irregularities in the Assistant Professor recruitment examination gained steam, the Tamil Nadu Teachers Recruitment Board (TRB) issued a clarification that appeared to have sidestepped the central issue: the evaluation of the descriptive Paper-2 section.
The clarification on Friday, 3 July, came after more than 40,000 candidates questioned the credibility of the recruitment process. Unusual scoring patterns in the results announced more than a week ago on June 25 triggered the questions.
Several candidates alleged that despite securing exceptionally high scores in the subject-based objective Part-1 examination, they were awarded abysmally low marks in Paper-2, the descriptive part introduced under a revised examination pattern in 2025.
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Candidates specifically questioned the evaluation of Paper-2 answer sheets, asking whether uniform standards were followed and why many candidates who scored high in Paper-1 received single-digit or even zero marks in the second part.
Several candidates demanded either a revaluation, the release of answer sheets for transparency, or the complete removal of Paper-2 from calculating the final ranking.
However, TRB’s latest media release skipped questions about the Paper-2 evaluation, descriptive essay answer sheet correction methodology, or the growing demand for revaluation.
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Instead of responding to concerns surrounding the alleged evaluation anomalies, the TRB pegged its clarification to an entirely different issue: clerical mistakes candidates made while filling out online applications.
In its statement, TRB termed the claims circulating on social media and public forums regarding irregularities in the recruitment process “factually incorrect, misleading and without basis.”
Instead of addressing the allegations, TRB explained how candidates submitted online applications by entering personal details such as name, date of birth, educational qualifications, community details and disability status, based on which hall tickets were generated.
The Board cited two examples to explain what it referred to as the “reported discrepancies.”
In one case, TRB said a candidate mistakenly entered 5 June 2006 as the date of birth instead of 27 September 1991, confusing it with another date that appeared in the SSLC certificate under a certificate code field.
In another case, a candidate reportedly entered her SSLC certificate number instead of her name while submitting the online application.
TRB said the anomaly was corrected after the candidate presented valid identity documents.
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The Board said it allowed such procedural corrections to ensure genuine candidates were not denied an opportunity to appear for the examination because of inadvertent data-entry mistakes.
TRB further asserted that such clerical errors had no impact on evaluation, marks, ranking, merit list preparation or final selection, adding that answer script evaluation and publication of marks were carried out independently through established procedures designed to ensure fairness and objectivity.
The Board also highlighted that final selection was never based solely on online application entries and that all shortlisted candidates would undergo mandatory certificate verification before appointment. It involved the officials concerned comparing educational qualifications, community certificates, date of birth and other eligibility criteria with original documents.
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Speaking to South First, a candidate said the latest clarification further disappointed the aspirants.
The candidate said that even if TRB stated that an independent review of Paper-2 had been conducted and no irregularities were found, candidates would have at least felt reassured.
“Even if they had simply said that Paper-2 evaluation was independently reviewed and no irregularities were found and that the published results stand valid, it would have given us some comfort. But what is disappointing is that in this entire clarification, TRB has completely avoided talking about Paper-2,” the candidate said.
For many candidates, the omission has now become a major point of concern.
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Writer and political activist Aadhavan Dheetchanya, who publicly raised concerns over the examination controversy, said TRB’s statement entirely missed the question the candidates have raised.
“The TRB clarification talks only about clerical errors. But it is not what the candidates are questioning. Their concern is simple: how can candidates who scored less than half the marks in the morning Paper-1 examination suddenly score 49 out of 50 in Paper 2 written in the afternoon?” he asked.
“At the same time, how can candidates who scored over 100 marks in Paper-1 end up getting zero or single-digit marks in Paper-2? That is the question the candidates are raising. They argue that there appears to be some irregularity in the evaluation process,” he added.
Dheetchanya further argued that the issue called for political intervention. He added that governments often avoided acknowledging irregularities in examinations held under their watch.
“Just as the NDA government refuses to acknowledge controversies around issues like NEET, this government is unlikely to openly admit that an examination conducted under its administration may have had irregularities,” he said.
Dheetchanya urged the state government to immediately intervene in the interest of candidates and order a revaluation of Paper-2.
“The government must immediately subject Paper-2 to re-evaluation and provide a proper explanation to all candidates who wrote the examination,” he demanded.
The TRB held the recruitment examination in December 2025 after nearly 25 years.
As many as 42,064 candidates appeared for the test, which included a 150-mark objective section and a 50-mark essay part.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
