Students claim the STET Urdu PGT paper was far beyond the syllabus and copied from UGC NET 2014
NEW DELHI – A major controversy has erupted in Bihar after Urdu PGT candidates appearing for the State Teacher Eligibility Test (STET) on 8 November alleged that the paper included questions copied directly from the UGC NET 2014 exam. Students said the questions were far beyond the prescribed syllabus and even outside the basic concepts expected at the postgraduate teaching level.
Many Muslim candidates, who formed a large portion of the Urdu PGT applicants, said they were “shocked” and “betrayed”. They demanded that the exam be held again and action taken against those who set the question paper.
A candidate from East Champaran said the paper looked nothing like the STET exam they had prepared for. “After seeing the questions, it felt like we were sitting for UGC NET, not the Urdu PGT of STET. This was a clear attempt to play with our future,” he said.
The anger intensified after several candidates said questions from other subjects appeared to be translated directly from competitive exam papers not related to STET. According to them, this was a “planned act” carried out “before the 2025 assembly elections under TRA 4” by people who want to mislead and trouble students.
Another candidate from Begusarai said, “The questions made no sense for a teachers’ appointment exam. After seeing the paper, my head started spinning. Whoever set this question paper has done a great injustice. They must be held accountable.”
Well known educationist Safdar Imam Qadri strongly criticised the situation. He said the responsibility lies with the person who prepared the questionnaire. Calling it a serious failure, he said, “This is clear abuse of students. The board should take note of how such a paper was allowed. This is the fault of the question maker, not the students.”
He added that asking students questions meant for the 12th level or UGC NET during a teachers’ appointment exam was unacceptable. “This is not just a mistake; it is complete excess,” he said.
Many candidates said they had prepared sincerely, focusing only on the official syllabus. But the exam left them confused and helpless.
A candidate from Madhubani said, “We studied properly for STET. But this paper was from another world. How can the board expect fairness when they give us questions not even linked to the syllabus?” Another Urdu PGT aspirant said, “We were told to prepare according to the Bihar syllabus. Instead, we were given a higher-level exam without warning. This is injustice.”
Some candidates said they now fear whether their future will be damaged because of this “careless and cruel act”. Students alleged that someone tried to misguide the entire Urdu PGT community on purpose. They said the timing, before the 2025 assembly elections, raises questions.
One candidate said, “This looks like a conspiracy against Urdu students. Why should we suffer like this?”
Another candidate said, “The mistakes are too big to be simple errors. Someone has done this knowingly. Our careers cannot be played with.”
When contacted, Nishat Ahmed, who has long been involved with educational issues in the state, said, “This is complete injustice to the students. Such questions should never have been asked. The exam must be held again.”
He added that ignoring the students’ concerns would further damage trust in the system.
Candidates have demanded a reexam and that officials responsible for this error be punished. They also called for a clean and transparent inquiry. A candidate said, “We are not asking for any favour. We are only asking for fairness. The exam must be held again with the correct syllabus.”
They said that the Bihar School Examination Board should not ignore the complaints of Urdu-medium students, especially when the wrong impacts thousands of Indian Muslim candidates who worked hard for this opportunity.
