Recruitment of teachers: CM orders probe into ETEA test leak scandal

PESHAWAR: Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has taken notice of alleged irregularities in the screening test for the recruitment of schoolteachers conducted by the Educational Testing and Evaluation Agency (ETEA) and has directed the chief secretary to initiate an inquiry into the matter.

According to an official handout, a formal letter was dispatched from the Chief Minister’s Secretariat to the chief secretary in this regard.The chief minister expressed concern over reports of misconduct and a possible paper leak during the ETEA screening test held in Bannu on May 10.

Initial reports suggested that several individuals were apprehended from a private guesthouse in possession of the test paper, bubble sheets, laptops, and scanning machines while the test was still underway. The incident has raised serious questions about the integrity and oversight of the testing system.

The letter stated that the chief minister termed the alleged irregularities a grave violation of merit and transparency, and instructed that a thorough and timely investigation be conducted.He directed that a senior officer or a group of officers be assigned to carry out a detailed inquiry, identify those responsible, and recommend disciplinary action against those involved.

The chief minister said that ETEA is currently conducting exams across the province to recruit thousands of teachers, and any form of malpractice would undermine not only the future of the candidates but also public trust in the system.

He directed that the investigation not only focus on the immediate facts of the case but also examine potential weaknesses within ETEA’s operational framework. Legal and administrative action should be recommended against any individual or institution found guilty of misconduct or negligence.

Additionally, the Secretary of Elementary and Secondary Education was directed to review examination arrangements across all districts, ensure effective monitoring of the testing process, and take necessary steps to improve coordination between local administrations and ETEA staff. The chief minister has sought a comprehensive report on the incident within 15 days.

M. Alam Khan Adds from Bannu:

A major scandal was unearthed during the ETEA test for the recruitment of primary school teachers when suspects were caught red-handed allegedly solving the paper for candidates inside a hujra.

Assistant Commissioner Allah Nawaz confirmed that a group responsible for preparing ETEA papers and delivering them to candidates inside the examination centers had been apprehended.

Divulging further details, he said that 10 suspects involved in solving and transmitting the question papers via mobile phones and other means were caught in the act.“Mobile phones, scanners, photocopy machines, ETEA question and answer papers, and other materials were recovered from the suspects,” he added.

A case was registered under Sections 419 and 420 at Mirakhel Police Station on the complaint of the center in-charge and the ETEA audit officer. The district administration has informed the ETEA authorities of further action.

Meanwhile, a provincial minister has come under fire after the leaked ETEA papers surfaced on social media.Posts circulating on social media showed photographs allegedly depicting people solving the ETEA test illegally inside the hujra (male guest house) of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Minister for Public Health Engineering, Pakhtoon Yar Khan.