CHENNAI: In the Tamil Nadu Teachers' Eligibility Test (TNTET) held for in-service teachers across Tamil Nadu on Saturday (July 4), as many as 59,535 candidates appeared for the exam.
The government and private teachers who appeared for the exam expressed disappointment that the paper 1 held on Saturday was tougher than anticipated. TNTET paper 2 is scheduled today.
Across TN, as many as 61,386 candidates registered for the paper 1 exam, which was conducted at 222 centres. On Saturday, as many as 59,535 (96.99%) appeared for the exam, and 1,851 (3.01%) were absent. For paper 2, 1,67,743 candidates are expected to appear at 613 exam centres.
According to official data, 3,385 candidates appeared for paper 1 in Chennai, recording an attendance rate of 94.6%.
"Paper 1 was tougher than we expected. Teachers who failed the previous eligibility test, as well as others, feel that the earlier test was far easier. Both the previous DMK government and the current TVK government assured us that the exam would be easier, but the questions were difficult," said a government teacher.
Another teacher noted that the restrictions caused great distress to aspirants. "At certain exam centres, teachers were not allowed to wear footwear or carry water bottles. As many teachers are middle-aged and many women teachers have undergone various surgeries, it was also tougher to sit for longer hours to write the exam," added a government-aided school teacher.
To ensure the smooth conduct of the exam, the district administration established one control room and deployed 966 personnel, including four flying squad officers, 18 route officers, 51 chief superintendents, 51 departmental officers, 742 room invigilators, and 100 non-teaching staff.