Chennai: TRB shifts to computer-based test to curb fraud

CHENNAI: Signalling an end to paper-based recruitment tests for teachers, the Teachers Recruitment Board (TRB) on Wednesday announced that the recruitment of 2,144 PG teachers will be conducted on a computer-based online test.
It will rule out possibilities for manipulations as the test is conducted without any hard copy question paper or OMR answer scripts.
The employees of a private firm entrusted to supply, scan and process the OMR answer scripts by TRB the had manipulated the results leading to major scams in polytechnic lecturers’ recruitment test and teacher eligibility test conducted in 2017.
“The last paper-based test was TNTET on June 8 and 9. Hereafter, the entire process including registration of applications, generating admit card, computer-based test and publication of results will be based online,” officials from school education department told TOI. “The question papers would be sent to the test centres only minutes before the exam starts. Likewise, as soon as candidates finish the exam and submit their answers, no one can access the answers,” they explained.
However, after downloading the answer script, the candidates have to take the test only in offline mode.
The NSEIT, a subsidiary of the National Stock Exchange of India Limited, will conduct online exams in the state. It would provide end-to-end support for examination, including online application, providing test centres and conducting online test and publication of results.
As a trial of the new system, the first online test will be conducted for recruiting 814 computer instructors on June 23. Around 35,000 candidates would appear for the exam.
“Since the candidates are less than 50,000, the exam would be conducted in one phase. But, for PG teachers’ recruitment test, the number of applicants will be more than three lakh. It’s not possible to provide enough test centres for so many candidates. So, the exam would be conducted in several phases,” officials said. As of now, applicants for PG teachers are likely to be grouped based on their subjects.
The NSEIT will provide test centres in engineering colleges and other institutions.
The TRB will deploy officers to supervise the test at each test centres. The board has announced that candidates for PG recruitment exam can apply from June 24 to July 15. However, in the notification, the board has not mentioned the date of examination and said it would be announced later.