Editor,
With the PGT Mains examination just a month away, an issue once highlighted in this column needs to be re-emphasised regarding the qualification criteria for the PGT examination in the state. On October 28, 2025, just a few days before the Recruitment Test, the APPSC issued a notification stating that, as per the NCTE Regulations, 2014, and after consultation with the Education Department, candidates other than those possessing a General B.Ed. degree are ineligible for the post of PGT. Further, qualifications such as B.Ed. (Special), B.Ed. (Special Education), or any other B.Ed. degree would not be treated as equivalent to a General B.Ed., and candidates possessing such qualifications would be considered ineligible for the post of PGT. Despite this clarification, a contradictory situation has emerged.
During the Recruitment Test held on 2nd November, many candidates with B.Ed. (Special Education) were issued admit cards and allowed to appear for the examination, while many others with the same qualification were denied admit cards and had their candidature cancelled on the very same eligibility grounds. This situation itself caused considerable confusion among candidates. However, the confusion deepened further when several B.Ed. (Special Education) candidates were shortlisted in the Recruitment Test results and are now being allowed to appear in the Mains Examination scheduled for 11th and 12th February 2026.
At the same time, the APPSC has recently published a list of candidates declared ineligible for the upcoming Mains examination due to a mismatch between their MA subject and the concerned subject for which they applied, indicating that eligibility rules are being strictly enforced in this case.
This raises an important question: if eligibility rules are being strictly followed for MA subjects, why are they not being enforced in the case of the B.Ed. degree? Why this partial execution of eligibility rules? If B.Ed. (Special Education) candidates are ultimately ineligible and are likely to be declared so at later stages, during the Mains, Viva, or final result, then allowing them to appear in the Mains examination serves little purpose and directly affects otherwise eligible candidates. Ineligible candidates end up occupying prospective, limited seats and influence the cut-offs of the entire examination process. Logically, it is difficult to understand why candidates deemed ineligible under existing Recruitment Rules are being allowed to sit for the examination when their candidature is likely to be cancelled at a later stage.
I wish to clarify that this is not an attempt to question the credibility of B.Ed. (Special Education) candidates, who have already proven their merit by clearing the Recruitment Test. My concern is directed solely towards the Commission. If recruitment rules exist, why are they not being followed in their entirety?
This is a serious loophole that both candidates and the Commission must acknowledge and address at the earliest, especially before the D-Day on 11th–12th February. If left unresolved, it will continue to affect many otherwise eligible candidates in the future, if not now. The examination is being conducted after a gap of seven years and has already witnessed several glitches without reaching its conclusion. We cannot afford further complications.
Therefore, with full faith in the learned apex recruiting body of the state, the APPSC, I respectfully request that this matter be examined at the earliest so that no eligible candidate is deprived of their rightful opportunity.
PGT Candidate