Editor,

Through the columns of your esteemed newspaper, I wish to draw the attention of the Arunachal Pradesh Public Service Commission (APPSC), the Government of Arunachal Pradesh, and the general public to certain serious procedural lapses that marred the recently conducted Trained Graduate Teacher (TGT) Examination held on 12 July 2026.

The examination witnessed an unprecedented and entirely avoidable situation arising not from any fault of the candidates but from an apparent technical glitch in the APPSC online application portal during the submission of online application forms. Due to this system error, candidates belonging to different subjects were allotted roll numbers under the English subject sequence. Consequently, candidates were compelled to sit among English candidates despite appearing for entirely different subjects. I myself was the lone candidate from my subject seated in a room full of English candidates. Many others reportedly faced similar situations across different examination centres.

This was far more than a mere clerical error. It created confusion, uncertainty, embarrassment, and immense psychological stress at the very moment candidates were expected to perform at their best in one of the most important examinations of their careers. Competitive examinations are meant to assess merit-not a candidate’s ability to cope with avoidable administrative failures.

The discrepancies came to light only after the admit cards were released for download on 23 June 2026. Around 35-40 candidates found that their admit cards incorrectly reflected English as their subject instead of the subjects for which they had actually applied. Acting promptly and in good faith, the affected candidates immediately submitted representations to APPSC requesting corrections. Although the Commission corrected the subject details, the roll numbers remained unchanged, continuing under the originally allotted English subject sequence. Consequently, candidates had no choice but to appear for the examination under abnormal circumstances entirely beyond their control.

No aspirant should be made to suffer anxiety or uncertainty because of a technical or administrative lapse committed by the examining authority. For nearly three weeks, the affected candidates remained under constant stress, unsure whether these discrepancies would have any bearing on their candidature, evaluation, or final result. Such anxiety was wholly avoidable and arose through no fault of the candidates.

Unfortunately, the concerns did not end with the conduct of the examination.

On 13 July 2026, APPSC uploaded only the Question Booklet (Set A) along with the provisional answer key and invited objections until 4:00 pm on 14 July 2026, effectively providing only a one-day window. However, the notification failed to clearly state that candidates who had received Question Booklet Sets B, C, and D were also required to verify their responses using the Set A answer key after rearranging the sequence. In the absence of such a clear instruction, many candidates reasonably assumed that separate answer keys for Sets B, C, and D would be uploaded subsequently. By the time they realised otherwise, the deadline had already expired, depriving them of a fair opportunity to raise genuine objections.

Equally concerning was the extremely inadequate one-day period provided for challenging the provisional answer key. Arunachal Pradesh’s unique geographical realities cannot be ignored. Thousands of candidates travelled from remote districts to examination centres such as Itanagar Capital Region, Pasighat, Aalo, and Ziro. During the peak monsoon season, long journeys are frequently disrupted by landslides, road blockages, and traffic congestion. Many candidates spent almost the entire day travelling back to their hometowns and reached home physically exhausted. Expecting candidates to analyse the answer key, verify doubtful questions using authentic sources, collect supporting evidence, and prepare well-reasoned objections within such a short period is neither practical nor fair.

The answer key challenge mechanism exists to ensure that no candidate is prejudiced by an incorrect answer. Such an important safeguard loses its very purpose if candidates are not given a realistic opportunity to exercise it.

Since APPSC has already acknowledged the earlier technical error affecting candidates, it would now be both fair and just for the Commission to reopen the provisional answer key challenge window for at least two additional days. This is not a demand for any special concession but a request for procedural fairness. Granting a short extension would neither compromise the recruitment process nor undermine the Commission’s authority. On the contrary, it would enhance transparency, improve the accuracy of the final answer key, and reinforce public confidence in the integrity of the selection process.

Going forward, APPSC should ensure that every notification is drafted with absolute clarity, leaving no room for ambiguity or multiple interpretations. Whenever a common answer key is intended for different booklet sets, this fact should be prominently stated in the notification. Furthermore, candidates should ordinarily be given a minimum of three days to scrutinise the provisional answer key and submit objections, particularly in a geographically challenging state like Arunachal Pradesh.

APPSC is a constitutional recruiting agency entrusted with selecting the state’s future teachers. Its credibility rests not merely on conducting examinations but on ensuring that every stage of the recruitment process is transparent, fair, and free from avoidable administrative lapses. Candidates should never be made to suffer for errors originating within the system. Reopening the answer key challenge window for two additional days would be a timely and welcome step towards restoring confidence in the fairness of this recruitment process while also reducing the possibility of avoidable grievances and litigation.

If these genuine concerns are not addressed promptly, the Commission risks inviting avoidable litigation that could delay or even derail the entire recruitment process. Arunachal Pradesh witnessed a similar situation in the past when the 2022 PGT recruitment examination was ultimately cancelled following allegations of irregularities, including the reported paper leak, causing immense hardship to thousands of aspirants. While the issues raised in the present TGT examination are of a different nature, ignoring procedural lapses and denying candidates a fair opportunity to challenge the provisional answer key could similarly erode public confidence and result in unnecessary legal disputes. A simple and timely decision to reopen the answer key challenge window for two additional days would not only address the legitimate concerns of candidates but also reinforce APPSC’s commitment to transparency, fairness, and natural justice.

I sincerely hope that APPSC will consider this genuine appeal in the interest of thousands of aspirants and uphold the principles of fairness, transparency, and natural justice.

Aspirant TGT